ISTANBUL, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's largest city Istanbul inaugurated a biomethanation plant on Tuesday that would convert wasted food into compost and electrical energy.
"Food waste ... will be brought to the economy for the first time in the country," Ekrem Imamoglu, Istanbul mayor, said at the opening ceremony of the plant.
The wasted food, including vegetables, fruits, and expired packaged food, will be collected at several points, such as universities, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, military and social facilities, and large markets throughout Istanbul, a city of over 16 million people.
Approximately 1 million tons of waste will be processed and converted annually at the plant, Imamoglu pointed out.
He added that 78 megawatt-hours of electrical energy will be generated in the facility, which will supply all the internal needs of the facility and the electricity demands of 1.4 million households.
According to the mayor, the plant will also contribute to the transformation process of Istanbul into a carbon-neutral and climate crisis-resistant city by 2050.
Last week, Imamoglu announced the new climate vision, which included a series of steps to support the life cycle and reduce pollution, carbon footprint, and greenhouse gas emissions.
In line with this vision, the Turkish city targets the conversion of 95 percent of the garbage gas from the disposed waste into energy and 100 percent recycling of organic waste by composting. Enditem