President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan celebrated the "March 30 International Day of Zero Waste" adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.
In a post shared on his social account, President Erdoğan said, "I congratulate the UN General Assembly for adopting March 30 as International Zero Waste Day, which came about as a result of our efforts. The "Zero Waste Movement," spearheaded by my beloved wife, First Lady Emine Erdoğan and already a recognised global brand, will steadfastly continue on its course."
In addition, President Erdoğan released details on the "Zero Waste Movement," which began in 2017 and has since extended around the world.
Accordingly, 19 million individuals have received zero waste training since the movement's inception, 572 million cubic metres of water were saved, and 180 thousand tonnes of marine litter were collected.
Plastic bag use has been reduced by 62.5%, and 31,500 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions have been prevented. 164 thousand buildings and campuses have switched to the Zero Waste Management System.
62.2 billion Turkish liras in economic growth have been attained through the "Zero Waste Movement."
While the recycling rate was 1% in 2002, it increased to 27% in 2022.
By 2023, the recycling rate is expected to reach 35%.