Plastic bottles will be recycled for money.

```html

The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change plans to implement a Deposit Management System nationwide in 2025, where a deposit fee will be paid per bottle and can for the recycling of packaging with a volume of 0.1-3 liters.

The machine, developed by local engineers, will scan the barcode of packaged waste. The machines will categorize the waste into glass bottles, PET, and aluminum packaged products and direct them to the relevant waste bin.

After the packaged products are placed in the machine, a fee will be charged per bottle, and this fee can be used in shopping. Initially, these machines will be installed in shopping malls and markets.

"DEPOSIT IS A METHOD WE ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH"

Prof. Dr. Erdem Görgün, a faculty member of the Environmental Engineering Department at Istanbul Technical University (ITU), provided information about the system to be implemented in the new year, stating that the Deposit Management System is used in more than 40 countries worldwide, and this number is rapidly increasing.

Emphasizing that he does not use the term waste, Görgün said, "If you throw the empty packaging into the trash, it becomes waste; if you don't, it is a clean material. Therefore, we should not call it waste but 'strategic raw material.' When we throw these strategic raw materials into the machine, the collected products go back to recycling and are reintegrated into the economy. Deposit is a method we are all familiar with. In the past, when we returned an empty package after consuming a packaged product, we would receive a full bottle in return. The same method will return, but this time money will be given."

25 BILLION DRINK PACKAGES WILL BE COLLECTED

Görgün pointed out that thanks to the system, 25 billion drink packages will be collected in Turkey, stating: "When we go to the market, we will pay a little more for the drink we buy. We call this the 'deposit fee.' We should not approach this situation with a perspective that increases the prices of products. We are lending for the sake of protecting the environment. As citizens with heightened environmental awareness, we should be willing to pay this fee. After the packaging is emptied, we will go and throw it into the machines. Approximately 20-30 thousand machines will be placed in easily accessible locations throughout Turkey.

Prof. Dr. Görgün emphasized that the entire process is being carried out by the Turkish Environmental Agency and stated that the process will progress digitally and that there will be a deposit application system on phones.

"WE DO THIS TO PROTECT NATURE"

Görgün explained that when the QR code on the mobile phone is brought close to the machine, the machine will refund the deposit fee to the e-wallet for the number of packages placed, and he noted:

"What will we do with the accumulated packaging in the machines? This is very critical. Several elements need to work very well for this. Where did the citizen throw what, how many packages have accumulated in the machine, who will take them, and where will the collected packages go? After the packages accumulate, some fraud may occur. We need to see how the material flows through data flow. We do this to protect nature, and there is a cost to this. We must pay this fee."

Prof. Dr. Görgün pointed out that the waste and empty packaging collection system has rapidly spread in Europe, stating, "A very good system has been established in Turkey regarding data flow. The Turkish Environmental Agency made an agreement with the General Directorate of the Mint two years ago and established a digital infrastructure. E-wallets are ready, and all machines will be positioned to communicate with each other."

"OUR BIGGEST MOTIVATION FOR COLLECTING THESE WASTES SHOULD BE THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE ECONOMY"

Görgün stated that both the waste and industry sectors need the deposit refund system very much, saying, "Currently, we can collect approximately 10% of our waste thanks to street collectors; there is no healthy collection system. We need to increase this by 2035. By 2050, there is a zero carbon target. We will either do this, or we will burn from the heat, suffer from hunger, and the agricultural sector will collapse," he evaluated.

Görgün emphasized that the Deposit Management System should be communicated to people as a means of protecting nature, stating that in Europe, people do this with great pleasure, and children and university students earn their pocket money from this transformation.

He highlighted that this way, the environmental awareness of society will develop, continuing his words: "The Deposit Management System application will be implemented with the new year. Thus, we will protect both nature, the climate, and the future of our children, and we will reintegrate hundreds of millions of euros into the economy. Our biggest motivation for collecting these wastes should be the environment and the economy. Turkey needs to quickly prepare the infrastructure for an extended producer responsibility policy, just like in Europe. Otherwise, we will fail in the fight against climate change. Our industry will be unable to trade with Europe. For this, everyone needs to show sensitivity to the issue."

"THE DEPOSIT FEE WILL BE REFUNDED"

Ayşegül Eroğlu, the owner of the company producing deposit refund machines, stated that they have been working on this issue for 4 years, noting that the Deposit Management System will be implemented in accordance with the promise made in the Paris Climate Agreement to reduce packaging waste by up to 65% by 2030.

Eroğlu emphasized that the work with the Turkish Environmental Agency is progressing very closely and that the system has now reached a point where it can be implemented, stating, "Citizens will pay a deposit fee when purchasing a drink, and after consuming it, they will be obliged to return the bottles and plastics. When they return it, they will receive a refund of the deposit fee they paid. We produce machines that ensure recycling is done in the healthiest and cleanest way, allowing it to be reused in food and preventing fraud. These machines are called Deposit Refund Machines, or DİM for short."

"WE WILL START SEEING THESE MACHINES IN THE FIELD IN 2025"

Eroğlu stated that DİMs have been showcased at various organizations such as Teknofest and environmental weeks, saying, "We will start seeing these machines in the field in 2025."

```

He stated that beverage waste should enter the circular economy rather than being recycled. This means that these beverage packaging materials should be used within the food industry rather than in textiles. Therefore, it is necessary to separate and convert these beverage wastes cleanly. "DİM machines provide us with a clean raw material source," he said.

Pointing out that with the integration of existing packaging into the circular economy, there will be no need to import waste from abroad, Eroğlu noted that the machine ensures the cleanliness of the packaging.

Eroğlu also provided information about the use of the machines, saying, "There is a mobile application established by the Environmental Agency and the Mint. Think of it like an ATM. The use of the machine is actually very simple. First, you scan your QR code. Then, when you throw the plastic and glass bottle you have into the machine, the deposit refund amount is transferred to your digital wallet. You can use the money accumulated here for shopping. We produce these machines in such a way that more than 75% of them will be local in Turkey. Not everyone can produce these machines; since it is a government project, licensing and registration are required."