The opening ceremony of the "Waste Battery Recovery Facility", developed in cooperation with TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center (MAM) Chemical Technology Institute and the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization and operated by Exitcom Recycling, was held on 12 May 2016 in Kartepe, Kocaeli.
The opening ceremony was attended by Minister of Science, Industry and Technology Fikri Işık, Kocaeli Governor Hasan Basri Güzeloğlu, TÜBİTAK Vice President Prof. Dr. Mehmet Çelik, TÜBİTAK MAM President Assoc. Dr. Bahadır Tunaboylu, TÜSSİDE Institute Director Tezer Battal, Kartepe Mayor Hüseyin Üzülmez, Gebze Mayor Adnan Köşker, Gebze Technical University Rector Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, AKP Provincial Chairman Şemsettin Ceyhan, Ministry of Environment and Urbanization Special Waste Department Head Gökhan Şentürk, Waste Management Department Head Ahmet Varır, Kartepe District Governor Ayhan Dumrul, Exitcom General Manager Murat Ilgar and many guests attended.
Bilim, Sanayi ve Teknoloji Bakanı Fikri Işık yaptığı açılış konuşmasında, tüm laboratuvar, yazılım ve altyapı çalışmaları, fabrika ve prototip üretimi %100 yerli olarak tamamlanan tesisin, tek vardiyada, yılda 300 ton atık pil işleme kapasitesine sahip olduğunu belirterek, bilimi, teknolojiyi, çevreyi, kalkınmayı, üretimi ve enerji tasarrufunu aynı anda sunduğunu ifade etti.
Minister Işık said, “We will open a facility with a single-shift processing capacity of 300 tons of waste. Whatever Türkiye can produce on a scale basis, it should produce locally. It is also very important that our production is innovative and competitive. We attach great importance to R&D and innovation as an integral part of our production. While doing these, we attach importance to green production. Our understanding of production that excludes humans and nature cannot be our understanding. The production we will make will be respectful to people and will not pollute our air, water or soil. "We expect our municipalities to carry out a special study on waste battery collection," he said.
“Please Do Not Throw Your Batteries Indiscriminately”
Stating that the Waste Battery Recovery Facility is a very good example for TÜBİTAK, Minister Işık said, “TÜBİTAK played a role in the complete design, engineering and prototype production of this facility. The client institution is our Ministry of Environment and Urbanization. There is science here, there is one of the best technologies used in the world here, there is a production of disposing of used batteries and extracting the precious metals in them. "There is prevention of damage to the environment when it is not produced here, and there is reuse of the precious metals obtained here in the industry," he said.
Following the speeches, the opening ribbon of the facility was cut, the facility was toured and detailed information was obtained.
