Perakende sektöründe atık yönetimi
Waste management in the retail sector
Yazar: GÖZDE KARA
Danışman: PROF. DR. KADİR ALP
İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi / Lisansüstü Eğitim Enstitüsü / Enerji Bilim ve Teknoloji Ana Bilim Dalı / Enerji Bilim ve Teknoloji Bilim Dalı
Derece: Yüksek Lisans, 2021
Konu: Çevre Mühendisliği = Environmental Engineering
Dizin: Organik atıklar = Organic wastes ; Plastik atıklar = Plastic wastes

Özet:
Dünyada artan nüfus sebebiyle mevcuttaki küresel ekonomi, malzeme ve enerji üzerinde büyük bir tüketim etkisine yol açılmaktadır.
İnsani kalkınma perspektifi gelecek kuşakları düşünerek çevresel ve sosyal yönetimi kapsayan bir çerçeveyi benimsemektedir, bu bakış açısı sayesinde kalkınmanın temelini 'sürdürülebilirlik prensibi' oluşturmaktadır. Döngüsel Ekonomi ve  sürdürülebilirlik kavramları, kurumsal şirket stratejilerinin yanı sıra yeni hükümet politikalarına da yol göstermektedir. Bu durum giderek şirketlerin ve ürünlerinin "döngüselliğini" ölçmek amacıyla çok sayıda göstergenin ortaya çıkmasına yol açmıştır. Bu tez çalışmasında da çevre yönetim sisteminin temel prensibi olarak kabul edilen 'azaltmak, yeniden kullanmak, geri dönüştürmek' yaklaşımlarının perakende sektöründeki eğilimleri ve uygulamaları incelenmiştir.
Gıda perakende sektörü, önemli miktarda atık oluşumuna sebep olmaktadır. Kontrolsüz atık oluşumunun sosyo-ekonomik ve çevresel sonuçları kamuoyunda giderek tanınmakla birlikte; literatürde, gıda parekende sektöründe gıda ve ambalaj atıklarının mevcut yönetimi ve potansiyel sonuçlarının neler olabileceği henüz yanıtlanmamış bir sorudur.  Bu sebeple hazırlanan bu tez çalışmasında, gıda perakende sektöründe, gıda atıklarında ve ambalaj atıklarında benimsenen yaklaşımlar üzerinde durulmuştur. Atık sorununun dünyada nasıl ele alındığına dair araştırmalar derlenmiş ve atık yönetim hiyerarşisi incelenerek perakende sektöründeki atıkların oluşum kaynaklarına ve yönetimine ilişkin önerilerde bulunulmuştur.
2050 yılına kadar 9,8 milyara ulaşacağı tahmin edilen dünya nüfusunun mevcut tüketim miktarlarımızı sürdürebilmemiz için üç kat daha büyük bir dünyaya ihtiyacımızın olacağı belirtilmektedir. Bu artan nüfus artış miktarını karşılayabilmek adına gıda üretiminin de %60 artması gerekecektir. Gıda endüstrisi; iklim değişikliği, arazi kullanımı, su kaynaklarının tükenmesinde ve aşırı nitrojen ve fosfor girdileri nedeniyle ekosistem üzerinde değişikliğe sebep olmaktadır. Gıda sistemlerinin sürdürülebilirliği için yenilemeyecek durumdaki gıdaların yönetiminin nasıl olacağı, gıda atıklarının nasıl değerlendirilmesi gerektiği başlıca sorunları oluşturmaktadır. Gıda kaybı ve atıklarının azaltılması için tek bir çözüm olduğu söylenemez, birbiriyle bağlı olarak bir çok önlem alınması ve çözüm üretilmesi gerektiği açıktır. 
Dünyada izlenen politikalar incelendiğinde, gıda atıkları ve plastik ambalaj atıkları için geri dönüşüm ve azaltım hedefleri konulduğu görülmektedir. Bir çok ülkede uygulanmakta olan ve gittikçe yaygınlaşan içecek ambalaj atıkları için depozito iade sistemi, kullanılmış olan içecek ambalajlarını geri dönüştürmeye, yeniden kullanmaya teşvik etmek amacıyla tüketicilerin az ve iade edilebilir bir bedel ödemeleri esas alan bir uygulamadır. Bu sayede yüksek geri dönüşüm oranlarına ulaşılırken daha az sera gazı salınımına da katkıda bulunulmuş olacaktır. Depozito iade ağı yönetiminde, zincir mağazalar ve daha küçük satış noktalarının iade noktası olarak görev alması ön görülmektedir. Perakende sektörü bu konuda da kilit bir konumda yer almaktadır.

Abstract:
The current global economy, together with the increasing population in the world, leads to a large consumption effect on materials and energy.
The human development perspective adopts a framework that includes environmental and social management by considering future generations, and thanks to this perspective, the 'sustainability principle' forms the basis of development. The Circular Economy (CE) and sustainability concepts guide new government policies as well as corporate strategies. This has increasingly led to the emergence of a large number of indicators to measure the "cyclicality" of companies and their products. In this thesis, the trends and practices in the retail sector of 'reduce, reuse, recycle' approaches, which ise accepted as the basic principle of the environmental management system, are examined.
The food retail industry generates a significant amount of waste. Although the socio-economic and environmental consequences of uncontrolled waste generation are increasingly recognized by the public, in the literature, the current management of food and packaging waste in the food retail industry and what its potential consequences might be, is an unanswered question. For this reason, in this thesis, the approaches adopted in the food retail sector, food waste and packaging waste are emphasized. Research on how the waste problem is handled in the world has been collected and the waste management hierarchy has been examined and suggestions have been made regarding the sources and management of waste in the retail sector.
Food system causes, climate changes on the ecosystem due to land use, depletion of water resources and excessive nitrogen and phosphorus inputs. For the sustainability of food systems, the main problems are how the non-edible foods should be managed and how food waste should be utilized. It cannot be said that there is only one solution for reducing food loss and waste, it is clear that many interdependent measures must be taken and solutions must be found. Although there are geographical differences in food waste production, the issue is critical for both developed and developing economies. Food waste points to an unsustainable system of food production and consumption, closely linked to other global challenges. The importance of reducing food waste as a way to address global socio-economic and environmental problems is emerging.
Food loss refers to a reduction in mass (dry matter) or nutritional value (quality) of food originally intended for human consumption. Causes of food loss can be attributed to factors such as insufficient knowledge, management capacity and lack of access to markets by supply chain stakeholders, and natural disasters. Food waste refers to food that has to be discarded due to its expiry date. Often this is because the food has deteriorated, but it can also occur for other reasons, such as changing supply and demand in the industry or individual consumption habits.
Throughout the food supply chain industry, there is food being wasted and it can be attributed to differing methods of waste. At every stage of the chain, food wastes with different characteristics, different sources and different reasons are produced. The highest participation rate in the total amount of food waste belongs to households (42%); in second place is production (39%), followed by gastronomy (14%) and retail and wholesale (5%). These rates also vary on a yearly basis and change according to the source, however the ranking of the food being wasted does not change.
When food losses at different stages are compared, it has been observed that there are great differences in the amount and types of waste. However, the share of food waste originating from the retail sector in general varies between 5% and 17% in the literature. Following and applying global trends in our country will reduce waste generation. By supporting recycling, it will be possible to contribute to circular economy practices in this way. The transition from a linear economy to a circular economy is not just about new methods, it also requires changes in consumer habits in order to turn waste back into a resource, and it needs to be supported by policy makers.
When the policies followed in the world are examined, it recognized that recycling and reduction targets are set for food waste and plastic packaging waste. The deposit return system for beverage packaging wastes, which is being implemented in many countries and becoming increasingly widespread, is an application based on low and refundable payments by consumers in order to encourage the used beverage packaging to be recycled and reused. In this way, while achieving high recycling rates, less greenhouse gas emissions will be contributed. In the management of the deposit return network, it is foreseen to act as a return point in chain stores and smaller sales points. The retail industry is also in a key position in this regard. Beginning in 2022, Turkey is planning on implementing the deposit refund system.
In addition,wastes such as cardboard, glass, metal, and plastic are collected separately from other wastes, to contribute to the economy for reuse and recycling of packaging and to feed the circular economy. 
The concept of 'sustainable development' first came to the forefront in the Brundtland report when it was expressed as 'development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'. It has been the center of various plans, agreements and regulations within the scope of sustainable development, economic development, social development and environmental protection. 
In this thesis, it is aimed to draw attention to managerial attitudes and approaches towards reducing food waste. Thus, by analyzing the waste management system in the retail sector and defining sustainable and cyclical processes, waste management can be optimized both economically and environmentally. In addition, by examining the approaches and activities of the companies that have an important share in the sector, good practice examples will be presented, and the real and possible results of waste management models will be discussed with the findings obtained here.
As a result of the field study conducted for this thesis, the highest share in non-hazardous wastes from the warehouses and distribution centers of the company in the retail selected in 2020 and 2019, respectively; wood, paper/cardboard and plastic packaging waste.
When the paper/cardboard and plastic wastes from three supermarket chain stores with different characteristics are examined, it is understood that the amount of packaging waste cannot be measured precisely. Since the amount of undetermined packaging waste cannot be monitored, this means that measurement, which is the second step of waste management policies, cannot be realized. This finding has been interpreted as the awareness of waste management has not yet been fully formed and the policies adopted have not yet found a response in the field; although they have a paper equivalent. The unpredictability of the variety and amount of waste also makes it difficult to measure. The fact that food outlets have insufficient temporary waste storage areas also complicates waste management.
When the food wastes of these three supermarkets in 2019 and 2020 are examined, the largest percentage of the total waste consists of fruit and vegetable products. Since the products in the fruit and vegetable category lose their freshness faster than other categories, their share in waste seems high at first glance, however it is acceptable. In this respect, short logistics times and choosing the right storage methods are critical in reducing food waste.
To address the environmental impacts of food waste, retail companies focus on reduce waste in the supply chain and in-store. Maintaining the status quo by focusing on donation and recycling programs rather than prevention and zero waste commitments will draw attention from the environmental costs of wasted food and the systemic change needed to address them. At least corporate companies in this regard adopt solutions that include concrete, traceable deadlines and comprehensive prevention programs for zero waste.
The retail sector also has a great influence on the purchasing behavior of consumers. For this reason, it is indirectly responsible for the food waste that will occur in households. As a result of aggressive sales strategies in terms of larger pack sizes and price promotions, supermarkets have a stake in potential overbuying and subsequent food waste.
The retail sector also decides which food product to buy from the manufacturer and put on the shelves. The retail industry compiles the product range offered and decides on the standards of the food product such as quality, shape, and color. Although legislators set the basic standard retailers can set their own criteria for the characteristics of the product. Customer demand and strong competition in the retail industry are the main drivers of raising the bar; leading to an expanding product.
As the concepts of circular economy and sustainability are included in our lives, the private sector is directed towards an environment-friendly application that will feed recycling and separate it from the linear economy. With the zero waste project, which has been implemented recently in Turkey, waste will be collected separately at the source and recycling will become easier. It is essential to monitor the amount of waste collected with the zero waste project. Thus, reduction targets can be set in a concrete way.
The retail industry interacts with many different sectors and societies due to the needs of the people it serves and the structure of its operations.
It also bridges the coordination and cooperation between supply chain members and other stakeholders covering the circular economy.