The Zero Waste Foundation will launch a field study on plastic waste and microplastic pollution along the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts and in rivers. The study, to be conducted in Antalya, Mersin, Muğla and Adana, will investigate how plastic waste is carried from land areas to water resources and the seas.
The field program will assess the sources of plastic waste found on coasts and in rivers, the processes that lead to waste being released into the environment, current waste management practices and additional measures that could be taken.
The findings from the studies are expected to contribute to concrete solutions and policymaking efforts aimed at combating plastic pollution.
Coordination meetings to be held in the provinces
Sessions will be organized in the provinces under the coordination of the Ministry of Interior. The sessions, which are also expected to be attended by the governors of Adana, Mersin, Muğla and Adana, will address the results of the field studies and steps that can be taken against plastic pollution.
More than 400 representatives to attend plastic workshop
Alongside the field studies, a workshop will be held to comprehensively assess policies and practices related to plastic pollution. The workshop, planned for August 31 and September 1 under the leadership of Emine Erdoğan and the auspices of the Zero Waste Foundation, is expected to bring together 14 ministries, more than 40 general directorates and over 400 representatives, as well as universities and relevant stakeholders.
The workshop will address reducing plastic waste, developing recycling and recovery capacity, green transformation in industry, and promoting biodegradable and alternative materials. Preventing plastics from entering the environment and strengthening inspection mechanisms will also be among the topics discussed.
A separate session will also be held by the Istanbul Governorship, hosted by Governor Davut Gül, to address plastic-related processes in the city.
Ağırbaş calls for stronger action
Samed Ağırbaş, president of the Zero Waste Foundation and COP31 High-Level Climate Champion, said Türkiye needed to take stronger steps on plastic waste generation and the prevention of plastic pollution. Ağırbaş said the foundation was conducting comprehensive work on plastic waste and had made its most comprehensive report on the issue available to the public.
Ağırbaş said Türkiye generated 44 percent more plastic waste than the global average and polluted the oceans and rivers four times more in proportion to its population. He said Türkiye accounted for 1.5 percent of the damage caused to the oceans.
Emphasizing that plastic pollution was not merely an environmental problem limited to the seas and coasts, Ağırbaş said waste entering the environment also adversely affected water, soil and air quality.
Referring to the importance of field studies in the Mediterranean basin, Ağırbaş said citizens' concerns about environmental pollution needed to be taken into account. Ağırbaş said the Mediterranean had reached a point where there were places where people could no longer swim, and stated that he opposed the use of only a limited portion of plastic waste while the remainder was discharged into rivers and seas.
Ağırbaş said the foundation's field studies would not only identify existing pollution but also investigate its source, adding that solutions would be developed with the relevant institutions where necessary. He said work would be carried out to initiate criminal proceedings against those who release plastic waste into the seas and rivers and, where necessary, to file criminal complaints.
Ağırbaş also said they wanted biodegradable plastic production to be encouraged in Türkiye. He stated that plastic sector workers and manufacturers should be able to transition to a new production model without suffering hardship during the transformation process.
