Bill proposals, correspondence with administration, letters from constituents and a long paper trail customary of its work. The Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) has long been a source of waste. But since 2018, it spearheads efforts among public institutions to switch to recycling.
Since it joined the Zero Waste Project championed by first lady Emine Erdoğan, Parliament managed to collect 252 tons of paper for recycling and thus, saved about 4,000 trees from felling for paper production. Parliament also collected 211 kilograms (465 pounds) of batteries at its premises last year, indirectly preventing the pollution of an area of 70 acres on average. Moreover, it recycled 27 tons of plastic waste. In other words, it avoided consuming about 435 barrels of oil.
Across the vast complex that houses the Parliament in the capital Ankara, separate waste containers for the disposal of organic, paper, plastic, glass and metal waste can be found. In its kitchen and cafes, discarded food and waste from tea, a very popular drink among lawmakers and visitors, is collected to be recycled into compost. The compost is used on the Parliament's sprawling lawn. Overall, the Parliament managed to recycle some 1,250 kilograms of organic waste into 1,750 kilograms of compost.
By recycling metal waste, Parliament helped save the 9,500 kilowatts per hour of electricity used in their production.
