Recycling rate in Türkiye increased to 27 pct, says minister

ANKARA

Within the scope of the “Zero-Waste Project,” led by Turkish first lady Emine Erdoğan in a bid to reduce the volume of non-recyclable waste, the recycling rate in Türkiye has increased from 13 percent to 27, Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum has said.

“We have updated our targets within the framework of the project,” Kurum said. “We will increase the recycling rate, which has soared from 13 to 27 percent, to 60 percent in 2035, and our goal is to introduce a system in which all waste is recycled by 2053.”

Stressing that they want to carry out the efforts to combat and adapt to climate change with the Science Board, all ministries and universities, Kurum said, “We see this as an issue that concerns all professions and should be given priority in the next period of our country.”

“It is our greatest desire to get results by sharing this awareness with all segments of society, together with all our sectors.”

Pointing out the effects of climate change in Türkiye and the world, Kurum emphasized that the water and food crisis brought about by drought also poses a great threat to the world’s future.

Reiterating that environment and climate lessons have been added to the curriculum in schools, Kurum said, “Now, our children take the environment and climate change lessons as compulsory starting from secondary school, which will be a valuable service for our children’s awareness.”

Informing that they have completed the work on the Climate Law as part of efforts to fight climate change with a realistic approach, Kurum said, “We will implement the emission trading system with the law in a bid to make trades more efficient and more effective.”

Accordingly, we will implement many new financing models in the fight against climate change, from financing support to new investments to rewarding those who reduce emissions and penalizing those who produce excess emissions.

Underlining that the government has taken important steps regarding adaptation and coordination to climate change under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Kurum said, “We are in a better situation than many European countries.”

The law will help Türkiye complete its green transformation to meet its 2053 Zero Emission Target and increase forest areas, according to Kurum.

He also pointed out that World Habitat Day, which has been celebrated on October’s first Monday since 1986 with the decision of the U.N. General Assembly, will be held in the Aegean province of Balıkesir on Oct. 3 under the coordination of the ministry.

Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his gratitude to Emine Erdoğan for supporting zero waste initiatives during a conference in New York.

“A responsible waste production and consumption is key to the achievement of the Global Goals,” a U.N. statement said on Twitter.

The first lady received the World Bank’s first-ever “Climate and Development Leadership Award” for the pioneering role she has assumed in the fight against climate change with her Zero-Waste Project.