TURMEPA IS SPREADING THE ZERO WASTE BLUE CAMPAIGN THROUGH TRAININGS

With the Zero Waste Blue Trainings conducted nationwide, 30,145 people have been reached.

TURMEPA INTRODUCED ISTANBUL CHILDREN TO THE SEA FOR THE 11TH TIME

The TURMEPA April 23 event was held in its 11th year in collaboration with the Sarıyer District National Education Directorate. During the event, approximately 300 children received Zero Waste training while also having the opportunity to learn about the Istanbul Bosphorus and experience a love for the sea.

WE INTRODUCED CHILDREN FROM HARRAN TO THE SEA IN COLLABORATION WITH WISTA TURKEY

During the week of April 23 National Sovereignty and Children's Day, children from the village schools of Harran, who came to Istanbul organized by Wista Turkey, had an unforgettable day on the Bosphorus while getting acquainted with the sea through TURMEPA's Zero Waste trainings and games.

ZERO WASTE BLUE RECYCLING IS SPREADING TO ALL COASTS

We brought together the Zero Waste Blue initiative with dozens of institutions, schools, chambers, and hundreds of private sector employees. Within the scope of the "Zero Waste Blue" activities held nationwide, we prevented 8,499 kg of solid waste from entering our seas with 3,712 children, youth, and adults. The waste collected by individuals and institutions has been transferred to the Zero Waste Blue website of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change.

As of the end of September, 760 corporate/individual Zero Waste Blue Commitments have been made on the Zero Waste Blue website.

WITH 3,712 VOLUNTEERS IN ZERO WASTE BLUE COAST CLEANUP ACTIVITIES, 8,500 KG OF WASTE WAS COLLECTED.

SAMPLE COAST CLEANUP PROJECT

TURMEPA, with 435 Aras Kargo employees across 9 provinces and 11 coasts, has separated and removed more than 3,000 kg of waste from the shores. Through this work, which Aras Kargo has been carrying out for 3 years, they received the International Social Responsibility Excellence Award.

CLEAN UP THE MED – LET'S KEEP THE MEDITERRANEAN CLEAN

Within the framework of the "Let's Keep the Mediterranean Clean" (Clean Up The Med) campaign, coastal cleanups were conducted simultaneously with the support of environmental-focused NGOs in all Mediterranean countries, including Turkey. Aiming to highlight the factors causing pollution by bringing attention to marine pollution in the Mediterranean, TURMEPA carried out cleanup activities on different coasts of Turkey on May 25-26-27. During the events held in Antalya, İzmir, and Muğla, 537 kilograms of waste were collected.

TURMEPA, the Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications organized the 93rd Anniversary events of Maritime and Cabotage Day, conducted a seabed cleaning event on July 1 at the Beşiktaş Pier in Istanbul to draw attention to pollution in the Bosphorus. Supported by the Beşiktaş Municipality, numerous volunteers from the Active Divers Club were involved in removing a significant amount of waste from the seabed. The event garnered considerable media attention.

ICC (INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP) – INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP

On September 21, within the framework of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) campaign, hundreds of thousands of volunteers surged to the shores in more than 100 countries, including Turkey. Aiming to clean the coasts of our three seas, TURMEPA mobilized volunteers across Istanbul, İzmir, Samsun, Antalya, Kuşadası, Bodrum, and Fethiye, where 1,267 volunteers collected 2,462 kg of waste. Supported by numerous representatives from the private sector, institutions, clubs, and associations, the event raised awareness about marine pollution and promoted the Zero Waste Blue initiative. The ICC, held every third Saturday of September, has been coordinated by TURMEPA in Turkey since 2002.

OUR COVES ARE ALSO UNDER «ZERO WASTE BLUE» PROTECTION

TURMEPA's liquid waste collection boats, which have become a symbol in the southern and Aegean coves, continued their intense activities during the summer season of 2019. The TURMEPA Fleet, consisting of six boats, prevented approximately 1 million 535 thousand 822 liters of gray and black water from mixing into our seas from 2,969 yachts, tour boats, and motor yachts, ensuring that about 12 million liters of seawater remained clean.

Marmaris, within the framework of the İMEAK Chamber of Shipping, the waste collection boats collected 7,000 bags of solid waste, while a boat operating under the Bodrum Chamber of Shipping gathered 3,500 bags, contributing to Zero Waste Blue.

Source: DenizTemiz Derneği/TURMEPA