What has Zero Waste changed in Türkiye in nine years?

Türkiye's Zero Waste Movement increased the recovery rate from 13% to 37.53% in 9 years. 90 million tons of waste was brought into the economy.

The Zero Waste Movement, which started in Türkiye in 2017, has reached its ninth year. The program, which started under the auspices of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's wife Emine Erdoğan and under the coordination of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, has turned into a national waste management approach ranging from separation of waste at the source to recycling.
Data emerging after nine years show that there has been a significant increase in Türkiye's recycling capacity. However, these results reveal that the transformation is not yet complete and higher targets are being set for the next decade.

Recovery: from 13 percent to 37.53 percent
In 2017, the starting year of Zero Waste, Türkiye's recovery rate was at 13 percent. According to the data announced by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change in 2026, this rate increased to 34.92 percent in 2023, 36.08 percent in 2024 and 37.53 percent in 2025.
From the beginning of the program until the end of 2025, a total of 90 million tons of recyclable waste was processed by licensed enterprises and brought into the economy.
The distribution of this amount is as follows:
• Paper and cardboard: 36.1 million tons
• Plastic: 10.2 million tons
• Metal: 9.6 million tons
• Glass: 3.5 million tons
• Organic and other recyclable waste: 30.6 million tons
Turning figures into numbers, these nine years have shown that waste management is a decisive area not only for the environment but also for the economy.

The system has spread to institutions and campuses
One of the important aspects of Zero Waste is that it does not address waste management solely through individual preferences. The program focused on creating an enterprise-level infrastructure.
According to the Ministry's data, by the end of 2025, Zero Waste Management Systems have been established in 217 thousand buildings and campuses. While Zero Waste Management System plans were being prepared for 81 provinces of Türkiye, 28 million people were trained within the scope of the program.
This process enabled the spread of an institutional infrastructure to collect waste separately at the source, reintroduce recyclable materials into the economy, and reduce waste generation. Schools, universities, hospitals and public institutions have become waste management systems.

Plastic bags: A visible change
One of the most noticeable changes in daily life with the program was the pricing of plastic bags. There was a significant decrease in the use of plastic bags in the first years of the application, which started on January 1, 2019.
In its assessment in 2021, the Ministry announced that usage decreased by 75 percent compared to before the implementation and the generation of 354 thousand tons of plastic waste was prevented. This example showed that waste policies can be reflected not only in recycling facilities but also in consumption habits.
Türkiye's Zero Waste initiative on the international stage
Over time, the Zero Waste initiative gained visibility on international platforms. The program was deemed worthy of UNDP Türkiye's first Global Goals Action Award in 2021 for its contribution to the "Responsible Production and Consumption" target, which is among the Sustainable Development Goals.
The next important step came at the United Nations. The resolution, introduced with the initiative of Türkiye and supported by 105 countries, was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2022. With the decision, March 30 was declared International Zero Waste Day and was celebrated for the first time in 2023. Thus, the Zero Waste approach that started in Türkiye has become a part of the global waste agenda.

Zero Waste isn't just recycling
It would be incomplete to evaluate the zero waste approach only as recycling more waste. The basis of the approach is to prevent the generation of waste, use resources more efficiently, increase reuse and keep recyclable materials in the economic cycle as much as possible.
In this respect, although the increase in the recovery rate is an important indicator, it is not sufficient on its own. Reducing waste generation, expanding reuse systems, and designing products to last longer are also parts of the transition to a circular economy.

Towards 2035: 60 percent target
After nine years of progress, Türkiye has a higher recovery target ahead of it. The Ministry aims to increase the recovery rate, which is 37.53 percent at the end of 2025, to 60 percent in 2035 and to 70 percent in 2053.
Achieving this goal will not just mean sorting more waste. Preventing waste before it occurs, developing reuse models, strengthening the infrastructure of local governments and further incorporating the circular economy approach into production processes will also be decisive.

Nine-year transformation of Zero Waste
The nine-year journey of Zero Waste shows that the scale of waste management in Türkiye can change. A 24 percent increase in the recycling rate, 90 million tons of waste brought into the economy, management systems established in 217 thousand institutions—these figures prove that system change in politics is possible.
The next question is to what extent the increase in recycling will translate into a system that produces less waste and keeps resources in the economy for longer. Reaching the 60 percent target is not just a numerical achievement, it means redesigning waste policy at every layer of the system, from product design to consumption habits.