Turning waste into clean energy in Turkey

Turkey is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, with a rapidly expanding population and urbanisation rate. As the country’s largest city, Istanbul, with its 16 million residents, generates an enormous volume of municipal solid waste (MSW). Historically, much of this waste was deposited in landfills without adequate gas management, leading to high methane emissions—a greenhouse gas 80 times more potent than CO₂ over a 20-year period.

With Turkey’s energy sector heavily reliant on fossil fuels and a growing need for clean, domestic energy solutions, landfill gas (LFG) projects present a vital opportunity. Capturing methane from waste sites not only reduces harmful emissions but also provides a renewable energy source, helping to offset reliance on imported electricity and fossil-fuel-based power generation.