December 18, 2024 – Turkey’s PET Bottle Recycling Industry Soars with Doğa’s Innovative Bottle-to-Bottle Recycling
As global environmental awareness continues to rise, the PET bottle recycling industry is embracing new opportunities for growth, particularly in Turkey, where the trend of bottle-to-bottle PET recycling is becoming increasingly prominent. Among the pioneers in this green sector is Doğa, a construction company based in Istanbul.
Doğa has established DOĞAPET, a PET recycling venture in the city of Kırklareli, and introduced two state-of-the-art Starlinger bottle-to-bottle PET recycling lines. These lines, which commenced operation in the fourth quarter of 2024, have a production capacity of 3.6 tons of bottle-grade recycled PET pellets per hour, translating to an annual output of 28,000 tons. Notably, the Starlinger process has received recognition from international authorities, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Food Safety Authority, for food-grade applications.
Currently, Turkey permits only chemically recycled rPET for food use, with mechanically recycled bottle-grade rPET not yet approved. However, regulations are expected to change by 2025, allowing mechanical recycling for bottle-to-bottle applications and implementing a plastic bottle deposit system. DOĞAPET is actively sourcing post-consumer PET bottles from the local market and anticipates increased raw material availability once the deposit system is in place.
Selçuk Gökhan Gerlikhan, General Manager of DOĞAPET, expresses confidence in the bottle-to-bottle recycling project and believes the plastic recycling industry will grow in significance. He notes that with more countries enacting regulations requiring the use of recycled materials and the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive taking effect in 2025, demand for recyclable bottle-grade raw materials will continue to rise in Turkey and neighboring countries.
To meet this demand, DOĞAPET plans not only to expand its production capacity but also to process raw materials from beyond Turkey’s borders. The company aims to supply high-quality bottle-grade rPET to renowned global beverage and packaged water companies, supporting their green transitions. Selçuk Gerlikhan emphasizes that Doğa’s investment is a response to Turkey’s evolving needs and a contribution to environmental sustainability.