It is a product that is formed as a result of production and consumption activities, harms human and environmental health when released into nature, but can be reused through recycling or recovery substances are called waste.

  1. Domestic Waste: These are substances that occur in our homes and that we will no longer need after use. It consists of metal, food waste, chemicals, glassware, and paper waste, especially plastic and packaging products.

    Some of the recyclable products from household waste are listed below.

    1. Paper products: paper, cardboard, newspapers, magazines, books, etc.
    2. Metal products: tin cans, aluminum foil, beverage cans, cables, old kitchen utensils, etc.
    3. Plastic products: PET bottles, bags, etc.
    4. Glass products: glass bottles, jars, etc.
  2. Medical waste: waste generated during used medicines, medical supplies, surgery, and treatment in health and treatment centers such as hospitals, clinics, and clinics.
  3. Hazardous and Industrial Waste: Chemicals, cleaning substances, and pesticides from industry and various production facilities. Because these substances are flammable, corrosive, carcinogenic, explosive, and poisonous, they can harm human health and the environment.
  4. Construction waste: These are waste such as stone, soil, concrete, tiles, ceramics, plaster, plaster blocks, plastics, metal, paper, brick, and wood from construction, demolished, or repaired buildings.

Waste Management is a management style that includes the control processes of reducing domestic, medical, hazardous, and non-hazardous waste, collecting them separately at the source, transportation of waste, recovery, disposal, monitoring, and inspection activities after recovery.

 Prevention/Reduction/Reuse: Taking the necessary precautions to extend the lifespan of products and materials and ensure their reuse, thus protecting natural resources, minimizing the use of packaging, developing clean technologies in waste-producing industries, saving energy, reducing waste, cleaning and reusing used glass products, reusing plastic containers according to need (pot making, etc.), and achieving financial savings.

Recycling: Processing waste into products, materials, or substances for their main purpose or other purposes. Thanks to recycled products, greenhouse gas and waste water formation is reduced, energy savings are achieved, natural resources are protected, contributions to the economy are made, and clean technologies are developed.

The Stages of Recycling are as follows:

Separation at source: Waste to be recycled are collected separately from other garbage. 

Classification: Collected waste; They are classified as glass, metal, plastic and paper. 

Evaluation: Waste undergoes physical and chemical changes and a new substance is created. 

Bringing the new product into the economy: The recycled product is introduced to the market as a new substance.

There are different applications for different types of recycled products. Glass, plastic, and paper waste are first broken into small pieces and converted into new packaging, paper and plastic products, and textile materials.

Various projects have been developed to evaluate waste around the world. The zero waste project is an important project regarding the collection and recycling of waste.

“Zero Waste”; It is a goal defined as a waste management philosophy that includes preventing waste, using resources more efficiently, preventing or minimizing waste generation, collecting waste separately at its source and ensuring its recycling.

Recycling: The conversion of recyclable solid waste into a second raw material through physical, chemical, and biological processes is called recycling.

Organic waste, peels of foods such as vegetables and fruits, and food residues are composted and used as fertilizer, which is an example of recycling.

Energy Recovery: Waste materials that cannot be recycled; It is converted into usable heat, electricity or fuel through regular storage. Obtaining biogas from organic waste and converting this gas into energy is energy recovery.
Disposal: Disposal of waste that cannot be recycled. The best-known example is sending waste to regular landfills.

The process of reusing a product for the same purpose after it is used, without being subjected to any physical, chemical or biological processing, is called reuse.

Upcycling from Waste

The use of a product that has reached the end of its life and is no longer usable by turning it into a different product other than its intended purpose is called upcycling.

For example, using old clothes as a cloth bag and a teapot as a flowerpot is an example of upcycling.