Izmir Metropolitan Municipality successfully fulfills an important task to dispose of medical waste produced in health institutions throughout the city without harming the environment and human health. Medical waste collected from approximately 50 health institutions is sterilized with modern methods and converted into household waste at the Medical Waste Sterilization Facility operating in Menemen. Since its establishment in 2020, the facility has played a critical role in protecting public health by safely transforming approximately 400 thousand tons of hazardous waste.
Secure Collection and Recording System
This important facility, which was implemented by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, prioritizes environmental and human health. Medical waste, which is carefully collected from 50 different points such as state hospitals, private health institutions and dialysis centers, is weighed and radiation measurements are made before reaching the facility. The entire process is recorded thanks to the online mobile waste tracking system (MOTAT), which is under the supervision of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change. These hazardous wastes, which are transported by licensed private vehicles, are safely stored in the facility where sterilization processes will be carried out.
High Temperature Sterilization and Conversion to Domestic Waste
Seyda Yapıcı, Director of Waste Management Facilities at the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Climate Change and Zero Waste Department, states that the facility undertakes a vital function for Izmir by providing uninterrupted service 7/24. Waste collected from health institutions in special buckets and containers is subjected to a special sterilization process at 150 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes. Thanks to this high temperature, all harmful microorganisms on the waste are neutralized. After sterilization, the waste is passed through crushing machines to reduce its size and after purification processes, it becomes domestic waste. In this way, hazardous waste, which initially poses serious health risks, can be disposed of safely.
Vital Measure for Environment and Public Health
Seyda Yapıcı, who stated that the facility disposes of approximately 30 tons of medical waste per day, emphasized that approximately 2020 thousand tons of waste has been processed safely since 400. Yapıcı stated that a province without a medical waste sterilization facility is unthinkable and said, “Even the thought of approximately 30 tons of waste mixing into the soil and water throughout the province terrifies people. It is very important for such a facility to exist in İzmir in terms of both animal health and human health, and in terms of ensuring the healthy sustainability of life in nature.” Yapıcı, who added that the daily capacity of the facility is over 100 tons, said that the buckets and containers in which the waste is carried are disinfected and delivered back to health institutions.
Sustainable and Environmentally Friendly Approach
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality’s medical waste sterilization facility adopts a modern and environmentally friendly approach in all its operations. All units such as feeding, discharge, transportation, washing, disinfection and sterilization have been designed in accordance with the principle of sustainability. Thanks to the energy recovery system between the steam production unit and the sterilizers in the facility, the number of condensate water recirculations is increased, contributing to the protection of natural water resources. In this way, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality both protects public health and exhibits a waste management model in line with environmental sustainability principles.
