According to a statement from the ministry, teachers working in primary, secondary, and high schools in Ankara attended a seminar on the Zero Waste Project held at the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change. Mehmet Emin Birpınar, Deputy Undersecretary of the ministry, spoke about the importance of the project during the seminar.

Birpınar emphasized that the project should reach citizens at home and noted that it has rapidly progressed since its implementation by the Ministry and sponsorship by Emine Erdoğan. He stated, "While the world seems to be faster in this regard, unfortunately, they only realized the impact after quickly polluting the environment. Looking at Europe, they buried their hazardous waste in Africa for years. They achieved an incredibly savage form of development."

He pointed out that their current level of development is backed by a system that ruthlessly polluted air, water, and the environment, saying, "We will not do this. We must achieve sustainable development. Our pollution rate is at 0.7%. The US has about 20%, China is around 20%, and the EU has similar pollution rates. Despite being a developing country, we are at 0.7% in pollution. We need to establish a system that starts with a mother and a child. If we fail to do that, we will lose many of our existing resources."

"AT LEAST ONE IN TWO STUDENTS SHOULD BE ENVIRONMENTALISTS"

Birpınar highlighted that many problems in the past stemmed from waste storage and stated that the Zero Waste Project, which enables the recycling of waste, will lead to fewer environmental issues. He recalled the 1993 garbage explosion in Ümraniye, Istanbul, and the discovery of 2,000 barrels of hazardous waste buried in Tuzla in 2006, which led to the establishment of the Environmental Law.

He emphasized the need for environmental education from a young age, saying, "We need to protect the future of the world, our environment, and our children. Our teachers should make at least one in two students an environmentalist. As a ministry, we are ready to provide all kinds of support. With the Zero Waste Project we've initiated, we have recycled 105 tons of recyclable waste in the Ministry building alone, including 77 tons of paper, 18 tons of plastic, 4 tons of glass, 2 tons of metal, 1,100 liters of vegetable oil, and 2.5 tons of organic waste. By changing habits, 1,300 trees were saved from being cut down. Everything we throw in the trash at home has economic value. Therefore, we want all our schools to adopt the 'zero waste' concept. As long as we raise awareness among our children on this issue."

"Istanbul produces 15,000 tons of waste per day"

Birpınar noted that waste storage would also positively contribute to the economy, stating, "In Turkey, we produce an average of 1 kilogram of waste per household daily. That means Istanbul produces 15,000 tons of waste daily, which needs to be stored somewhere. Even if stored regularly, a lot of trees need to be cut down for storage areas. The less waste we generate, the fewer trees we will cut down."

He also mentioned their intention to expand the Zero Waste Project this year to public institutions, airports, schools, hospitals, and large businesses, saying that the ministry will guide these types of projects and is ready to provide financial support for the projects undertaken. 

Following the seminar, which was also attended by Deputy Undersecretaries Refik Tuzcuoğlu, Fatma Varank, and Mücahit Demirtaş, school administrators and teachers toured the facility where waste is processed at the ministry building.