The Turkish economy was provided with an added value of more than TL 3 billion ($1.07 billion) by recovering recyclable materials from waste dumps, according to Environment and Urbanization Minister Fatma Güldemet Sarı.

While answering questions from members of Parliament during meetings regarding the ministry's budget at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey's (TBMM) Planning and Budget Commission, Sarı discussed the country's recycling system, and stressed that 28 billion tons of domestic waste in Turkey includes nearly 5.6 billion tons of recyclable waste. "With recycling in 2015, our economy benefited from the added value of more than TL 3 billion and employment for more than 60,000 people," Sarı said, highlighting the fact that nearly 2.5 million tons of the total waste is collected separately and recycled. Sarı was also questioned about Istanbul's air pollution.

"We established the Marmara Clean Air Center in order to effectively monitor the air quality in Istanbul. Through 28 air quality monitoring devices managed by this center, air quality measurements consistent with European Union standards are constantly and instantly presented to citizens at: www.havaizleme.gov.tr. The latest data shows that air pollution is no longer a problem in Istanbul, which was the most problematic city in Turkey regarding air pollution in the 1990s." she said.