Residents of the Karşıyaka and Konak districts in Izmir, western coast of Türkiye, have called for a solution to garbage piling up on the streets and the resulting bad odor.
Yağmur Sena, who lives in Karşıyaka’s Donanmacı neighborhood on Kemalpaşa Street, said the garbage problem has been continuing for a long time.
Sena urged the municipality to address the issue, stating, “The piles of garbage, which are two to three times the size of the containers, are blown into the sea by the wind.”
Deniz Yavuz, a shop owner in Konak’s Murat Reis neighborhood, said delays in garbage collection are causing the bad smell.
Yavuz added: “Izmir does not deserve this. Just as we pay our environmental cleaning taxes, they should provide the services that correspond to the taxes we pay. They should do their job properly. Izmir is a beautiful city and we want garbage to be collected regularly.”
Ferit Akdoğan, president of the 10th Branch of the General-Iş Union, stated that workers at Karşıyaka Municipality have not received regular salaries for about six months, leading them to occasionally halt work in protest.
“The garbage is our livelihood. As a branch, we stopped collecting garbage for two days, but we have resumed work today. If the municipality does not keep its promises, our actions will continue. The residents of Karşıyaka have suffered, but the responsibility lies with the municipal management, not the workers,” Akdoğan said.
The Konak Municipality explained that delays in garbage collection occurred due to disruptions following the closure of the Harmandalı Waste Disposal Site, and that trucks waiting for long periods at transfer stations disrupted field operations.
Meanwhile, the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality’s Waste Management Department stated that it had appealed to the 4th Chamber of the Council of State against the decision of the 7th Administrative Chamber of the Izmir Regional Administrative Court to halt waste disposal operations at the Harmandalı Regular Waste Disposal Facility. The Council of State 4th Chamber, after reviewing the appeal, upheld the Regional Administrative Court’s decision in July, siding with the residents of the neighborhoods.
A while ago, Izmir's streets were overwhelmed with uncollected garbage, leading to unsightly piles and unpleasant odors in several districts. This situation arose due to a strike initiated by nearly 23,000 municipal workers employed by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality subsidiaries. The strike, which began on May 29, disrupted essential services, including garbage collection, public transportation and park maintenance, across the city.
Notably, areas such as Alsancak, Kordon and Kıbrıs Şehitleri Street in Konak were particularly affected, with overflowing trash bins and scattered garbage becoming a common sight
The Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, led by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), has faced criticism for its handling of both waste management and environmental issues. The municipality has been fined multiple times for water pollution, primarily due to inadequate wastewater treatment practices.
