Türkiye’s Zero Waste Movement marked its ninth year on Sept. 27 with a focus on its global environmental goals as the country prepares to host the U.N. climate conference, the 31st Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31), in Antalya, southern Türkiye, from Nov. 9-20.
Launched in 2017 under the auspices of first lady Emine Erdoğan and coordinated by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, the movement marks its ninth anniversary with the theme “Together for the World, from Zero to COP31.”
The theme reflects Türkiye’s hosting of COP31, with zero waste identified among the 10 priority themes of the conference’s action agenda and the 2035 Global Implementation Targets.
Since its launch, the Zero Waste Movement has expanded to 220,000 buildings and facilities across Türkiye, while the national recycling rate has risen from 13% in 2017 to 37.53% in 2025.
Türkiye aims to increase the recycling rate to 60% by 2035 and 70% by 2053, while 28 million people have received Zero Waste-related training.
A total of 90 million tons of recyclable waste was brought into the economy between the launch of the project and the end of 2025.
The figure includes 36.1 million tons of paper and cardboard, 10.2 million tons of plastic, 3.5 million tons of glass, 9.6 million tons of metal and 30.6 million tons of organic and other recyclable waste.
The recovered waste contributed TL 365 billion ($7.46 billion) to the economy, according to figures released by the ministry.
The initiative also generated energy savings equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 54 million households, amounting to 270 billion kilowatt-hours.
It saved 2 trillion liters of water and 60 billion liters of oil, while reducing the need for approximately 390 million cubic meters of landfill space.
The recycling efforts also prevented the cutting of 613 million trees and avoided around 180 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
The initiative has also developed into a global environmental movement through cooperation with the U.N.
The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution in December 2022 designating March 30 as International Zero Waste Day, following a vote led by Türkiye and co-sponsored by 105 countries.
A U.N. Zero Waste High-Level Advisory Board of Eminent Persons was established in April 2023 under the chairmanship of Emine Erdoğan.
The Global Zero Waste Goodwill Declaration has been signed by more than 459,000 volunteers from 136 countries as of Sept. 25, while more than 50 spouses of world leaders, senior international organization representatives and foreign ministers have also signed it.
The Zero Waste Project has received seven international awards.
The Zero Waste Blue initiative, launched in 2019 under Emine Erdoğan’s auspices, has collected approximately 375,000 tons of marine litter as of September.
The collected waste is equivalent to around 29,000 garbage trucks of marine litter that has been removed and prevented from reaching the sea.
Meanwhile, a seabed sludge removal project and mooring and buoy management system were launched in Fethiye Bay to protect marine ecosystems and seagrass areas.
The initiative also includes the DERIA Göcek Bay digital mooring and buoy management system, which allows boats to make digital reservations through a mobile application.
Türkiye’s Deposit Return Packaging Management System has collected more than 326 million PET, aluminum and glass beverage containers bearing the DOA logo as of Sept. 25. The system’s registered user base has reached 3.3 million.
The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change is also preparing new regulations aimed at phasing out single-use plastic products that contribute to environmental and plastic pollution.
The Zero Waste movement continues to cooperate with public institutions, municipalities, sports organizations, businesses and international organizations, including the U.N. Development Programme and Global Environment Facility.
