Determination of reverse logistics processes in waste management in mari̇nas in Muğla region: Blue card application

The aim of contemporary marketing is first to create a satisfied customer and then to create customer loyalty. The first step of applying relational marketing in businesses is to create the concept of lifelong customer. Marina management is a kind of service business. Marinas are service businesses that support tourism both nationally and regionally. In order to increase customer satisfaction and to provide better service to the tourists, infrastructures should be designed in a way that will not harm the environment and nature. Logistics expresses all the processes of a product from the first producer to the last consumer, such as transportation, storage, customs clearance, packaging, distribution. Logistics activities are also very important in order to provide competitive advantage to each other in the markets. While logistics is perceived as a forward-looking activity, reverse logistics is an activity in which backward processes are operated. While logistics is moving from one unit to multiple units, reverse logistics is a process development from multi-user to single unit. Reverse logistics is also related with recycling, value-added recovery and reuse. Thus it is aimed to bring the products that have reached the end of their economic life or that are damaged from the production process back to the reproduction stage. In the theoretical part of the study marina concept, marina management, logistics and reverse logistics processes are evaluated. In the application part, the infrastructures of the marinas operating in Muğla region were examined and the reverse logistics processes of waste management together with the Blue Card were evaluated. A semi-structured interview form was used to make assessments in Mugla Marmaris, Bodrum and Fethiye Ports users. The findings indicate that the facility locations are sufficient. The software and infrastructure is capabale to serve the demand with appropriate updates. The present system does not require additional employment. High infrastructre investment costs seem to be the biggest challenge in the efficiency of the system. The findings of the interviews indicated insufficiencies of tank capacities and legislation, and the increase in the number of yachts might lead to capacity problems. The marinas tendencies to base their predictions and planning depending solely on the contracted customers indicate potential capacity problems, as well. Despite the problems in legislation, the Blue Card system seems to have achieved its goal. Keywords: Logistics, Reverse Logistics, Marine Management, Blue Card.