The 200,000-strong population of Turkey's Çanakkale will benefit from an EBRD loan of TRY 57.5 million (US$ 9.91 million) for the development of a modern, efficient and sustainable waste management under a PPP scheme in this historical province. Çanakkale province stands on the Dardanelles Strait connecting the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean.

The EBRD loan will be issued to a local venture between the French utility SUEZ Group and the Turkish waste management firm ALTAŞ. The two partners have won the international tender to provide waste collection, transportation, recycling and disposal services under 29-year concession in five towns: Çanakkale, Lapseki, Kepez, Çardak and Umurbey. The consortium is contributing TRY 38.3 million (US$ 6.6 million) of its own funds to the project.

The EBRD loan will finance the construction of a mechanical biological treatment plant which combines a sorting facility with biological treatment such as composting and producing energy from waste. The funds will also be used to refurbish a landfill and upgrade a plant that treats leachate, a water-polluting liquid.

The project will help reduce the amount of solid waste sent to landfill, extend the landfill lifetime by 20 years and increase waste recycling, in line with EU standards. The new approach is based on circular economy and will minimise the negative effects of waste on the environment and people.

SUEZ is a world leader providing water and waste management solutions. The Group recovers 17 million tons of waste a year, produces 3.9 million tons of secondary raw materials and 7 TWh of local renewable energy. It also secures water resources and wastewater treatment. SUEZ generated total revenues of 17.3 billion euros in 2018.

ALTAŞ provides solid waste management services in the Turkish cities of Izmir, Istanbul, Ankara and Mersin and is also active in the Lebanese capital Beirut.