According to a statement from the Ministry, the Zero Waste Project, launched in 2017 under the auspices of Emine Erdoğan, the wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, aims to control waste within the framework of sustainable development principles and to leave a clean and developed Turkey and a livable world for future generations.

The Ministry sets policies and strategies for minimizing waste at the source, separating waste by type, collecting, transporting, temporarily storing, recovering, disposing of, reusing, converting into energy, and final disposal of waste.

Taking steps to prevent environmental pollution, improve the environment, and support investments related to the environment, the Ministry provides technical and financial support to municipalities for establishing the Zero Waste Management System.

"Provincial Zero Waste Management System Plan" Prepared

In this context, the Zero Waste Regulation, prepared to establish general principles and implementation rules for setting up the Zero Waste Management System within the scope of the Zero Waste Project, came into effect in 2019. This regulation organized the transition timelines for local authorities, buildings, and campuses to the Zero Waste Management System. Accordingly, a "Provincial Zero Waste Management System Plan" has been prepared by the governors of 81 provinces, and since June 2017, the number of buildings and campuses that have transitioned to the Zero Waste Management System has reached 150,000.

To guide the establishment, operation, and monitoring of the Zero Waste Management System, the Ministry has prepared 11 implementation guides for practitioners. Since the project's inception, approximately 17 million people have received "zero waste" training.