Fires ravage 71 recycling plants in 7 months

ISTANBUL

The country is seeing a surge in fires at recycling plants, with 71 incidents reported in the first seven months of this year alone — up to 40 percent more than in previous years, an expert has warned.

Associate Professor Sedat Gündoğdu from Çukurova University noted that unusually high temperatures and insufficient inspections are critical factors leading to fire outbreaks at recycling plants.

“The primary reason for the increase in fires is people not taking the necessary precautions. Flammable materials such as plastic are stored alongside other materials without adhering to proper regulations in these facilities. As temperatures rise, the likelihood of a fire increases due to the combination of these plastics and other materials at storage facilities,” he explained.

He also underlined that some of these fires were started deliberatively to make a profit.

“There is no news regarding authorities conducting investigations into these fires and imposing fines. The reason is that they cannot identify the origin of the fires,” he said. “Business owners are seen as victims in such cases. The waste has to be sent to disposal facilities and a large amount of money has to be paid for each ton of waste. It is burned as opposed to being sent out.”

Pointing out that recycling plants are at significant risk as a result, Gündoğdu underlined that most of these plants lack an early fire warning system. He stressed that 20 fires broke out in the last 29 days, corresponding to almost one fire per day.

According to data shared by Gündoğdu, a total of 35 fires occurred in the first five months of the year, with 17 fires in June and 19 in July alone.

He emphasized that despite the rising number of fires, safety measures have remained unchanged.