Starlinger installs PET recycling system in Turkey

Istanbul-based Doğa, which has a significant presence in the construction sector, has installed a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle recycling facility in Kırklareli, Turkey, including two recycling lines provided by Austria-based Starlinger & Co. GmbH

The recycling site is being operated under the name DoğaPET and is located close to the Bulgarian border.

Two Starlinger recoSTAR PET 165 HC iV+ PET recycling lines were commissioned in late 2024. They have a combined output of 3.6 tons of bottle-grade recycled PET pellets per hour, amounting to a total capacity of 28,000 tons per year, according to Starlinger.

The company says the DoğaPET bottle-to-bottle recycling process has been approved for food-grade applications by national and international authorities in Turkey and by brand owners operating in the region.

“We think that the plastics recycling sector will gain a lot of importance and attract investments, especially the bottle-to-bottle section," says Selçuk Gökhan Gerlikhan, general manager of DoğaPET.

“Regulations prescribing the use of raw materials obtained through recycling are coming into effect in more and more countries. We also expect regulations in Turkey to be tightened within the framework of zero waste targets in the coming years.”

According to Starlinger, using bottle-grade recycled-content PET (rPET) obtained from mechanical recycling for food applications is not yet permitted in Turkey. Only rPET produced through chemical recycling can be processed into new beverage bottles or food containers.

However, Starlinger says, “Bureaucratic procedures permitting the use of mechanically recycled PET for bottle-to-bottle applications are expected to finish in the course of 2025, together with the implementation of a deposit system for plastic bottles.”

DoğaPET sources postconsumer PET bottles for recycling within Turkey, relying on private sector collection and sorting, though the government is preparing to implement a deposit-return system (DRS).

“The presorting processes for used PET packaging in Turkey are really good, and consequently also the quality of the material," Gerlikhan says. “In addition to the raw materials which we currently source through the separate [recyclables] collection system, we will be able to obtain input material also through the PET bottle deposit system once it is in place. When we are ready to increase capacities, we will also process material from outside Turkey if necessary.”

DoğaPET says it is going to supply its bottle-grade rPET to global beverage and water companies with a brand presence in its region.

“We have made an investment at the most appropriate time in order to provide environmentally friendly solutions to changing needs in Turkey,” Gerlikhan says. “The demand for recycled, bottle-grade raw materials in Turkey is high.

“We expect this demand to increase also in neighboring countries, especially in the European Union, due to the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive that will come into effect in 2025. As Doğa, we have high hopes for our PET bottle-to-bottle recycling project and want to continue our investments in this field according to the direction the sector takes.”