The Zero Waste project championed by First Lady Emine Erdoğan is moving on to the next stage in a nationwide recycling effort, focusing on household waste. With a string of incentives and regulations, authorities hope to recycle an annual average of 35 million tons of waste worth about TL 10 billion ($1.2 billion).

Although the project is widely implemented in public buildings, households still need to exert recycling efforts. The project, which has also run awareness campaigns since its inception in 2017, may reach millions more as the government set Dec. 31, 2021, as the deadline for municipalities to switch to a zero-waste system.

Municipalities will be tasked with setting up separate dumpsters to sort the recyclable material to make collection easier. Minister of Environment and Urban Planning Murat Kurum, who is in charge of the implementation of the recycling scheme, said they introduced new regulations that set standards for recycling systems for municipalities. Guidelines were also provided to municipalities for the pricing of wastewater and household waste management systems.

Statistics show that organic waste makes up 52% of household waste while paper makes up 10% and plastic waste 6%.

The government plans to reach a 35% recycling rate target in the next two years while 400,000 buildings across the country are expected to fully switch to zero-waste practices by 2023.

The Zero Waste project, recently awarded by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for its contributions to sustainability, helped the country in save raw material, energy, water and oil as well as curb greenhouse gas emissions, within a few years.