New Era in Istanbul: Neighborhood Merchants Start Collecting Packaging Returns

The Mobile DOA, which was launched to expand the access network of the Deposit-Laden Packaging (DOA) System, has started serving in markets, groceries, and buffets in Istanbul.From now on, returns can also be made by merchants in points where deposit return machines cannot be installed in Istanbul. A new application has been put into operation within the DOA System, which is carried out by the Turkish Environment Agency (TÜÇA) under the coordination of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, which will both facilitate citizens' access to return points and support the participation of merchants in the system.Within this scope, the Mobile DOA, named after the handheld terminal, has included markets, groceries, and buffets without deposit return machines as Manual Return Points in the system. In the application launched in Istanbul, a merchant in Ümraniye was given a Mobile DOA device free of charge after completing his registration on the Deposit Information Management System at "dbys.gov.tr".Merchant Ercan İnci, who introduced the mobile device he received to the press in his market, stated that he could use the device like a sales device. İnci, who takes plastic, pet, glass, and tin cans with their barcodes intact and undamaged, said, "What was our biggest problem with these devices? There were pileups. Here, we can take 100 products from a customer within a maximum of 15 minutes. This is a project that is completely friendly to both the merchant, the nation, and nature. I wish it all the best."Citizens start the return process by reading the QR code on the device with their mobile phones and then reading the barcodes of the DOA-branded beverage packaging they will deliver to the device. After the transaction is completed, the accumulated amount is directly loaded into the citizen's DOA Wallet, and businesses earn an incentive of 50 cents for each packaging they deliver to the field operator.