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Updated: Jul 25, 2026
14:34
Biocontained Carcass Composting for Control of Infectious Disease Outbreak in Livestock
Published on: May 6, 2010
Addressing the operational problems in a composting and recycling plant
Gurdal Kanat1, Ahmet Demir, Bestamin Ozkaya
1Yildiz Technical University, Environmental Engineering Department, 34349 Besiktas, Istanbul, Turkey. kanat@yildiz.edu.tr
Waste Management (New York, N.Y.)
|April 4, 2006
Summary
Improving waste management at the Istanbul composting plant could recover 58% of oversize materials (OM), reducing significant operational issues and preventing an annual economic loss of over $640,000. Source separation is key to increasing compost and material recovery.
Area of Science:
- Waste Management
- Environmental Engineering
- Recycling Technologies
Background:
- The Istanbul composting and recycling plant, established in 2001, faces operational challenges due to a high proportion of oversize materials (OM) in incoming waste.
- OM, primarily plastic bags filled with garbage, constituted approximately 40% of the total waste during initial operations, causing significant disruptions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the composition of oversize materials (OM) at the Istanbul plant.
- To evaluate the economic losses incurred by the plant due to operational failures related to OM.
- To identify potential improvements for increased material recovery and operational efficiency.
Main Methods:
- Characterization of oversize materials (OM) exceeding an 80-mm sieve.
- Assessment of operational failures and interruptions impacting material processing.
- Economic analysis of potential material recovery versus landfilling costs.
Main Results:
- Approximately 58% of the OM currently sent to landfill could be processed effectively with improved operational conditions.
- Failure to recover these materials results in an estimated annual economic loss of $640,800.
- Compost quality is satisfactory, but source separation is crucial for enhancing compost yield and recovered materials.
Conclusions:
- Optimizing operational conditions at the Istanbul plant can significantly increase the recovery of valuable materials from oversize waste.
- Implementing source-separated collection, particularly separating wet and dry waste fractions, is essential for maximizing compost production and resource recovery.
- Addressing the challenges posed by oversize materials is critical for the economic viability and environmental performance of the composting plant.
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