Waste management in port operations: The case of Çanakkale port

There are many pollutions in the world that have an impact on the environment. This pollution is caused by industrial, agricultural, transportation, etc. sectors. As in the world, maritime transportation in Turkey ranks first among the related sectors. Due to Turkey's geographical location and straits, maritime traffic is quite high. Intensive use of maritime transportation has been an encouraging factor for ports. The shift in transportation preference towards maritime transportation has led to an increase in pollution caused by marine vessels. Maritime trade is considered as general cargo, bulk cargo, RO-RO, liquid cargo, passenger transportation and transportation of petroleum products. Both the petroleum products themselves and their wastes pose additional risks for the environment and the seas. The effects of a possible accident related to petroleum products cause pollution that is visible for a very long time, requires intensive labor, and threatens natural life and marine life. In this study, port facilities hosting maritime transportation and the management of wastes generated therein are investigated. Port management and waste reception facilities where ship wastes are accepted are included in this scope and evaluated. As a result of the examinations made in the port, it was tried to make inferences on the sources of waste generation, management, disposal methods and reuse. The wastes analyzed are operational hazardous wastes, non-hazardous wastes, domestic wastes, medical wastes and wastes from ships. Between 2021 and 2023, findings were obtained by studying the wastes discharged from the port and the wastes accepted to the waste reception facility between 2020 and 2024. These findings will be useful in terms of predicting and reducing the possible problems that ports may experience regarding waste disposal. In addition, the environmental impacts of the ports were also evaluated. It has been concluded that the wastes generated in port operations should be evaluated within the borders of Turkey and necessary measures should be taken to reduce raw material consumption and protect natural resources.