1.National Recycling Congress and Exhibition hosted by Uşak University in 2-4 May witnessed some important academic presentations. Governor of Uşak Özdemir Çakacak, Mayor of Uşak Ali Erdoğan, Chamber of Commerce President Mustafa Kuvvet, Head of Organized Industrial Zone Ali Yıldırım, academicians, guests and students attended the opening ceremony of the event. In the congress where 81 academicians from 20 different universities made presentations, there were panel discussions about animal waste discussions beside the recycling of textile wastes in Uşak.
That the recyclable fiber manufacturers in the area showed no interest in the congress drew reaction. There were panels about the subjects of plastic fiber, nonwoven productions, detection and evaluation of strands in the process of weaving and knitting, features of open-end yarns made from second-use textile fibers. These are among the most important and interesting subjects for the manufacturers in Uşak. However, only students and academicians attended the event and representatives of the sector did not and this was condemned by the panelists. It drew reaction that the sponsors of the event, that is Halil Çoban Tekstil, Önal Elyaf Geri Kazanım, Muzaffer Mert Tekstil, Rant Tekstil and UZPA Tekstil, did not send any representatives of their companies. The panelists stated that they have never witnessed such a situation and said; “This is the indication that tha manufacturers in Uşak do well and they have no need in new technologies in the sector.”
The Rector of Uşak University Prof. Dr. Sait Çelik, giving a speech in the opening ceremony, stated that from next year on students of Engineering Faculty will start to have hands-on training in industrial foundations. Prof. Dr. Sait Çelik, stating that they give great importance to the cooperation of industry-university and start to take serious steps for this cooperation, said; “Recycling sector is of vital importance for Uşak. We, as the University of Uşak, are ready to support our industrialists to develop the sector. We think that we can develop this sector by acting together and develop our understanding of cooperation with industrialists. Our Engineering Faculty students will start to have classes in industrial foundations. We have started to lay the foundation for this purpose and next years, we will put this application into practice in the vocational of higher education.”
Governor Of Uşak Complained About The Indifference Of The Sector
The governor of Uşak, stating that he is very sorry about the indifference of the companies in the recycling sector, mentioned in his speech about the importance of environmental awareness. Çakacak, stating that Uşak has made investments in the fields of environment in the latest years, said; “Our only aim is to leave a cleaner world to next generations.”
Çakacak, emphasizing that the recycling sector contributes a lot to national economy, said; “We would expect the companies in the sector to show more interest in the congress. Recycling is of vital importance for our world, country and the city. Wastes and environment are the common problems of human being because the world population increases day by day. The indispensables of modern life-cities-are expanding. In respect to this, there are several important decisions devoted to saving the environment all around the world. There have been important legislative amendments in the process of EU membership. Important environmental investments have been also made in our city. The only aim of these steps is to leave a better world for next generations. It is very important to recycle wastes for a better environment. Head of the UTSO stated the contribution of the sector to the national economy with figures. Textile wastes turn into fiber, yarn and colored cotton. Thousands of people work in this sector. We must do our best to develop the sector and enable it to contribute more to the national economy.”
Our Contribution Is 700 Million Dollars
Uşak Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Mustafa Kuvvet, stating that recycling sector contributes a lot both to the national economy and the employment, said that they have demanded support from the government but obtained no result. Kuvvet stated that Uşak is one of the leader cities in recycling and said that they produce unplanted cotton and wool without sheep.
Kuvvet, indicating that it is a very important process to bring husks in economy, said: “It cannot be ignored the contribution of this process to the economy. The contribution of this to the national economy is about 700 million Dollars. This contribution can never be underestimated. We, as Uşak, produce unplanted cotton and wool with no sheep and claim this thesis everywhere. We believe that we make contribution to the national economy and demand support. We have prepared scientific reports about it and presented these reports to the concerned ministries. However, we have received no positive return about support so far.
