Istanbul witnesses slight drop in daily waste amount: Data

ISTANBUL

The amount of daily garbage collected in Türkiye’s most populous city Istanbul decreased from 18,000 tons to 17,000 tons, as the daily food waste rate experienced a minor 4-percent reduction compared to the previous year, data by a municipal subsidiary has shown.

According to data from İstaç, which serves approximately 16 million residents in the metropolis, about 14,000 tons of the daily 17,000-ton garbage is directed to disposal facilities, while 3,000 tons are harnessed for electricity generation in the first nine months of the year.

Concurrently, the city produced an average of 45 tons of organic waste daily, which is thoughtfully repurposed for compost production during the nine-month-long period.

Municipal teams employed this organically rich compost in the city's parks and gardens. In green spaces where Istanbul's denizens seek clean air and leisure, a remarkable 28,309 tons of garbage were collected.

Notably, the highest volume of waste emanated from the coastal parks, and the refuse from the city's vast more than 45 million square meters of green spaces was dispatched to solid waste facilities for recycling.

Numerous non-governmental organizations in Türkiye issue repeated appeals for responsible waste disposal across the country, as well as the preservation of its green areas. Additionally, these organizations stage events with the aim of fostering awareness about recycling and contributing to the betterment of the environment.

Last month, teams from the International Federation of Water Ambassadors (USEF) embarked on a plastic collection march covering a route of more than 2,000 kilometers, commencing from the eastern city of Kars.

The event, which will span 93 days, will conclude at the İpsala Border Gate after passing through several provinces such as the eastern province of Erzurum, the Central Anatolian province of Sivas, the capital Ankara, the northwestern city of Bursa, Istanbul, and the border city of Edirne.