Turkiye saves billions, cuts carbon emissions through 'Zero Waste'

Since its inception in 2017, Turkiye’s ‘Zero Waste’ project has given back more than $1.8 billion (TL 30 billion) to the economy that would typically have been wasted. In addition, it saved 265 million trees and prevented the emission of 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, according to its ministry of environment, urban planning and climate change.

Zero waste is the main theme of the Environment Week, observed between June 1 and June 7 for the first time, and the government hopes to raise more awareness about the issue with nationwide events celebrating recycling and other environment-friendly practices. The ministry recently announced its latest figures related to the project.

The project was initially implemented in government offices, with several ministries adopting the scheme by sorting out their waste at the source instead of random disposal. The number of public agencies and private companies adhering to the practice reached 140,000 in five years.

Ministry figures show the country's recycling rate, which was 13 per cent when the project kicked off in 2017, was 25 per cent in 2021. The ministry said in a statement that its next goal was to bring it to 35 per cent in 2023, according to a report in an English-language daily in Turkiye.

It also engaged in massive cleanup campaigns of seas under the project ‘Zero Waste Blue’. As of 2022, the amount of maritime waste collected and delivered to proper disposal facilities reached about 134,000 tonnes.

In the three years since the government introduced a paid plastic scheme, use dropped by 65 per cent, preventing some 550,000 tonnes of plastic waste, equivalent to a savings worth about $230 million (TL 3.8 billion). This, in turn, prevented more than 22,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

Turkiye also promotes the campaign abroad. In Rwanda’s capital Kigali, the Yunus Emre Institute is teaching students to recycle waste into useful materials to protect the environment and generate wealth.

The initiative targeting students at the University of Rwanda and surrounding communities is being implemented through the institute’s Craft Days Programme. Materials produced from waste include flags, baskets and decorative products.