SHORT VISITS TO NEARBY FACTORIES With a group of our teachers and a number of different students we made some short visits to nearby factories in May. The main aim of these visits was to learn the factories’ waste managements and how they work.

DENİZLİ-HONAZ ORGANIZED INDUSTRIAL ZONE

There are 174 big and small factories in total. 138 factories are still producing, 36 factories suspended producing because of various reasons. Most of these firms are textile firms but there are also different lines such as motorcycle production, marble processing, glass factories, etc.

ALTINBAŞAK TEXTILE FACTORY

Some samples of paint to use through the process

The paints used in the factory are organic and the harm level of the paints towards the human health is minimized. The cancer effects of the paints are always under control. Chemicals are not used in this factory and paiints are chemical – free. The wastes are leaving the factory via pre refinement through a complex channel system.

RAW MATERIAL…THE FIRST STEP OF PRODUCING BED SHEETS..

THE LAB FOR FINDING THE PERFECT PAINT FOR THE PRODUCTS

PAINT TANKS…..NO HUMAN HAND IS USED DURING THE PROCESS

THE PRODUCTS ARE COMPRESSED IN WITHOUT THE PAINT

WHAT IS EKOTEX ? The OEKO TEX STANDARD known also as eko tex 100. It is an international certification standard which was developed in 1992 to give standards to firms to keep balance of the nature and environmental pollution. To keep this standard in tact there are represantatives all around the world. To take this standard for a textile firm it is necessary that it does not use fully – prohibited or semi – prohibited chemicals. There are 17 registered testing institutes worldwide working for these standarts. These standarts are accepted and followed by 40 countries.6500 firms and 51000 given certificates are in this subject. It is vital that our body has a specific pH value and so the chemicals used in producing clothes should not pass a certain pH value. If not we can experience allergic reactions or rashes with our body. And when it comes to choose clothes to our babies it is much more important to take care of these standatrs.

Monitoring your Body's PH levels pH: What does it mean? pH is the abbreviation for potential hydrogen. The pH of any solution is the measure of its hydrogen-ion concentration. The higher the pH reading, the more alkaline and oxygen rich the fluid is. The lower the pH reading, the more acidic and oxygen deprived the fluid is. The pH range is from 0 to 14, with 7.0 being neutral. Anything above 7.0 is alkaline, anything below 7.0 is considered acidic. Human blood stays in a very narrow pH range right around ( 7.35 - 7.45 ). Below or above this range means symptoms and disease. If blood pH moves to much below 6.8 or above 7.8, cells stop functioning and the patient dies. The ideal pH for blood is 7.4

THE FIRM THE DYER-HOUSE There are seven different fibers in a fabric. Their washing degrees are all different from each other. As a pre procedure the excessive paint is washed away from the fabric. There are some EKOTEX restrictions and regulations and these restrictions are seen on clothes as a symbol of EKOTEX. The workers are going under a health check every six months and all the tests are applied to them including hearing,blood ,breath etc.The paint tanks are as safe as possible and the workers are out of the harm’s way.

THE PRINTING OF THE PAINT There are 400 workers at the factory. In this part of the factory 3000 meters of fabric is processed. For a production of 1 million meters of towel 450-500 tonnes of paint is used per month. The raw materials are bought in Euros, the outcome is sold in Turkish Liras.

THE PROCESS OF PAINTING BED SHEETS

CHEMICAL PURIFICATION If the pH value is under 7 the amount of Sulphuric Acid which is used to neutralize the value is dropped down. The main aim is to keep the value betwween 7 and 8.

WASTE TREATMENT FACILITIES % 90 dyers – house water %10 from the other parts There are 3 cm. wide grates which holds the solid wastes. To keep the water level under control waves are send to the facility.

THE POOL USED FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT

BACTERIAS TURNED INTO SOME KIND OF MUD TO PROCESS EASILY

PURIFIED WATER AFTER WASTE MANAGEMENT

THE REMAINING WASTE IRONICALLY CALLED CHOCOLATE POOL

THERE ARE FOUR GIANT ROTORS USED IN THIS POOL

THE LAST PHASE OF WASTE MANAGENENT…THE PURIFIED WATER

The waste management facility is owned by the factory The waste management facility is owned by the factory. The large rotors are used to maintain the oxygen level. There is a pool called Compression Pool in which the bacteries are compressed and taking the form of mud. So it is easier to manage the waste.

DEMSAN A factory producing towels and bathrobes. This factory is also using ECOTEX standarts. The whole product line is sold to foreign countries.

The whole system is automated and the tanks on this system has the capability to process 1 tonne of washing and painting.

WITH THESE VISITS OUR STUDENTS HAD HE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THE INSIDE WORLD OF WHAT THEY ARE WEARING. IT IS NOT JUST WHAT SUITS YOU IT ALSO WHICH CLOTHES ARE BEST FOR YOUR HEALTH. CHEMICALS USED IN TEXTILE INDUSTRY SHOULD BE EXAMINED VERY CAREFULLY NOW THEY ARE MORE AWARE. AND THEY KNOW IF THEY CHOOSE THE CLOTHES THEY WEAR POORLY THEY MAY HAVE HEALTH PROBLEMS. THEY WILL INFORM THEIR PARENTS FROM NOW ON AND IN THE FUTURE WHEN THEY BECOME PARENTS THEY WILL PASS THESE INFORMATION. AT SCHOOL THE STUDENTS TOOK PART IN THESE VISITS MADE AND WILL PRESENTATTIONS AT SCHOOL TO THEIR FRIENDS.

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