Sites established in Hatay and Kahramanmaraş with Japanese funding 

Ankara, 15 August 2024 – Yesterday, 18 months after earthquakes devastated 11 provinces in southern Türkiye, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change (MoEUCC) marked the completion of two model facilities for the safe processing and recycling of earthquake debris. The facilities, located in Hatay and Kahramanmaraş provinces, are part of a JPY700 million (US$4.83 million) project funded by the Government of Japan which is aimed at demonstrating how vast quantities of earthquake debris can be managed safely.

The earthquakes claimed over 53,500 lives and left more than 313,000 buildings in ruins, resulting in a staggering volume of debris estimated at over 100 million cubic meters (or 200 million tons by weight). While most urban centers have by now been cleared of wreckage from the earthquakes, mountains of debris await proper processing in 86 temporary storage sites located on city outskirts (including 26 in Hatay and 18 in Kahramanmaraş). Public health concerns persist about asbestos and other hazardous waste that may be mixed into the earthquake debris. 

“Proper management of earthquake debris is a precondition for the recovery of the affected region,” said UNDP Resident Representative Louisa Vinton. “The facilities we have been able to build with Japan’s generous support will help to reduce the burden on the environment and eliminate risks to human health.”

“This project was designed to prevent health hazards by disposing of the rubble in Hatay and Kahramanmaraş, while also strengthening social infrastructure that would support the Turkish economy,” said Japanese Ambassador Takahiko Katsumata. “This project is coming to an end, but Japan will continue to provide support for recovery in the field of disaster waste disposal, as part of our broader assistance."

Equipped with industrial-scale crushers, magnetic separators and belt conveyors, the new facilities will process debris in stages, first removing hazardous waste, then separating out recyclables such as metal, textiles, plastics, glass and wood. The remaining decontaminated debris will be crushed into four different sizes, which can then be used as filling material for roads under asphalt and producing pavement blocks. The two facilities are currently in an advanced stage of testing and are expected to reach a processing capacity of 100 tons per hour in the coming months. If replicated widely, this approach to earthquake debris could massively shrink the size of regional landfills and also reduce carbon emissions by providing ready substitutes for construction materials that otherwise would have to be excavated or manufactured.

In the course of the year-long project, UNDP helped the MoEUCC to map and assess debris storage sites and to identify two suitable locations for the recycling facilities. A comprehensive debris management strategy and implementation plan were prepared, drawing on Japanese expertise and technology. Occupational health and safety training was provided to facility operators, technicians and managers, with a focus on dust and asbestos management. Municipal officials, governmental institutions and relevant stakeholders were also briefed on environmentally safe debris management. In addition, UNDP supplied three mobile crushing machines, two asbestos detection devices and 20,000 units of protective gear. 

“This project represents a major milestone in our ongoing efforts to restore normalcy and support sustainable reconstruction in the earthquake-affected regions,” said Fatih Turan, General Director of MoEUCC’s Environmental Management Directorate. “We thank Japan and UNDP for their vital contribution to environmentally safe management of debris and advancing our environmental goals.” 

“Approximately 100 million cubic meters of rubble were generated by the earthquakes and, as the Ministry, we consulted with many institutions and academics on the removal processes,” said İsmail Tüzgen, General Director of the European Union and Foreign Relations Directorate in the MoEUCC. “Waste should be recycled into the economy in an environmentally friendly manner.”

For more information: 

Esra Özçeşmeci, Communications Associate for UNDP in Türkiye, esra.ozcesmeci@undp.org