Pops Project
POPs Legacy Elimination and POPs Release Reduction Project
The objective of the project is to protect human health and the environment globally as well as locally by addressing POPs legacies including the elimination of POPs pesticide and PCB stockpiles. This includes initiating the clean-up of associated POPs and chemical pollutant contaminated sites, as well as dealing with longer term PCB phase out consistent with the country’s SC obligations. Another targeted area is the reducing of U-POPs release in major industrial sectors as well as strengthening institutional, regulatory and technical capacity within a sound chemicals management framework.
POPs Legacy Elimination and POPs Release Reduction Project is executed by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization with the financial support of GEF in cooperation with UNIDO and UNDP.
Strategy and Design of the Project
The overall strategy and outlined project design is consistent with the Project’s objectives related to the elimination of POPs legacies, such as POPs stockpiles, waste and contaminated sites as defined in Article 6 of the SC, and reduction of POPs release from major long term sources (Article 5 of the SC).
It also recognizes the need for targeted national capacity strengthening to support this strategy and Turkey in upholding its long term obligations under the SC.
Project Components
The project strategy is implemented through a project design involving five principle components as well as an additional monitoring and evaluation component:
Component 1: Elimination of Current POPs Stockpiles and Waste
Component 2: Planning and Capacity Building for Environmentally Sound Management of Future PCB Stockpiles
Component 3: Unintended POPs Release Reduction
Component 4: Management Capacity for Contaminated Sites
Component 5: Institutional and Regulatory Capacity Strengthening for Sound Chemicals Management
Component 1: Elimination of Current POPs Stockpiles and Waste which directly addresses the management regarding the elimination of remaining identified POPs pesticides and currently available (existing or being phased out) PCB stockpiles and wastes in the country. This includes in particular a very large single stockpile of essentially pure POPs pesticides (HCH) with the intent of elimination of a globally significant volume of POPs. Additionally, the component supports POPs destruction infrastructure in Turkey, specifically HTI facilities that are required for the country to deal with the growing amounts of chemical and particularly chlorinated waste generated in Turkey.
Outcomes of Component 1
Outcome 1.1: Elimination and infrastructure removal from remaining POPs pesticide storage sites
Outcome 1.2: Elimination of high concentration PCBs and PCB containing equipment stockpiles.
Outcome 1.3: Qualification of existing and developing national POPs destruction facilities.
Component 2: Planning and Capacity Building for Environmentally Sound Management of Future PCB Stockpiles covers the planning required for Turkey to complete the phasing out of PCBs in the country and particularly in regards to addressing the need to deal with residual PCB contamination in non-PCB equipment through the demonstration of required de-halogenation technology, consistent with the SC. The general objective of this Component is to support the longer term management of PCBs in Turkey recognizing the ultimate national obligation under the SC to eliminate PCBs in use by 2025 and have them destroyed by 2028.
Outcomes of Component 2
Outcome 2.1: Implementation of national PCB regulations
Technical Annex and Guidance Documents to the Existing PCB Regulation
Outcome 2.2: Systematic approach for the analytical determination of PCBs in electrical equipment, labeling and inventory
Outcome 2.3: Development and adoption of national PCB equipment treatment, phase out and retirement plan
Outcome 2.4: Improvement of storage and maintenance of cross contaminated PCB equipment
Guidelines for Environmentally Sound Management of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBS)
Outcome 2.5: Verification of decontamination technology for PCB contaminated transformers remaining in service and its pilot demonstration
Component 3: Unintended POPs Release Reduction covers point source identification, facility evaluation, U-POPs releases assessment and monitoring, and BAT / BEP (Best Available Techniques / Best Environmental Practices) abatement investment demonstration activities related to primary sectoral sources of U-POPs release as identified in the NIP. BAT/BEP will be demonstrated in priority sectors with the general purpose to show their effectiveness and their cost. The demonstration will follow an experimental design, based on the thorough characterization of operational conditions, emission sampling and analysis for both the “business as usual” and BAT/BEP conditions.
Outcomes of Component 3
Outcome 3.1: Determination and verification on an enterprise level of source and technology specific U-POPs emissions.
Report for “Assessment of the Regulatory Gaps for U-POPs” and “BAT/BEP Training for Priority Industrial Sectors”
Outcome 3.2: Provision of training and technical assistance on BAT/BEP for priority industrial sectors.
Outcome 3.3: Development of a national U-POPs release reduction plan.
Outcome 3.4: Demonstration of BAT/BEP in industrial priority source categories.
Component 4: Management Capacity for Contaminated Sites covers supporting the implementation of the regulatory framework now being put in place to deal with contaminated sites, particularly those related to chemical and POPs waste.
This entails support for key technical management tools along with undertaking demonstration assessment, clean-up design, containment, and monitoring of several priority POPs and chemicals waste contaminated sites and analysis of potential sites and implementation of remediation studies in pilot scale.
This targeted technical assistance is delivered with extensive support from private sector in this area.
Outcomes of Component 4
Outcome 4.1: Implementation of the “Soil Pollution Control and Point-Source-Contaminated Sites Regulation”
Outcome 4.2: Undertaking of priority POPs contaminated sites assessments and clean up measures under the “Soil Pollution Control and Point-Source-Contaminated Sites Regulation”
Component 5: Institutional and Regulatory Capacity Strengthening for Sound Chemicals Management covers supporting technical assistance related to improvement of the general legal/regulatory framework and technical capacity for hazardous waste and contaminated sites management within the national chemicals management framework. This Component encompasses the final stage of Turkey’s efforts to be fully compliant with the SC from an institutional and regulatory perspective. It is based on a strategy that adopts a path of harmonization of the national legal and regulatory environmental framework on sound chemicals management with that of the EU. Another important part of this component is to increase the POPs monitoring capacity of the country.
Outcomes of Component 5
Outcome 5.1: Legislative framework updated consistent with the Convention’s obligations.
Outcome 5.2: Strengthened technical capacity including operational POPs monitoring, supporting analytical capability, and planning related research and development capability.
Outcome 5.3: Development and implementation of modern tools for a national sound chemicals management framework Republic of Turkey Ministry of Environment and Urbanization General Directorate of Environmental Management, Department of Chemical