Increasing amounts of solid wastes cause serious environmental problems, especially for industrialized cities. Kocaeli, one of the most industrialized cities of Turkey, can be evaluated as a representative sample of this situation. In the city, uncontrolled disposal of municipal solid wastes (MSW) can threaten the ecological environment. In this context, the application of integrated solid waste management carries importance for preventing harmful effects.
This paper presents four basic strategies of integrated municipal solid waste management as evaluated for Kocaeli: 1) source reduction, 2) recycling and composting, 3) material recovery and thermal conversion (incineration), and 4) sanitary landfilling. Solid waste management applications from 2006 to 2012 have been investigated and projections have been made for the future. Results of the study showed that integrated solid waste management has been based on sanitary landfilling, even in Kocaeli. Also, there are significant problems about separation at source in recycling actives as there is no legal regulation. Unfortunately, significant amounts of valuable materials are sent to landfills every year.