Istanbul to Host Zero Waste Week: Participation from 183 Countries

Istanbul's Zero Waste Week, to be held from June 1-7, 2026, will see participation from 183 countries. The launch event was hosted by the Zero Waste Foundation, with the Governor of Istanbul and the foundation's president in attendance. During the meeting, the common awareness strategy and communication approach to be implemented across Istanbul were shared.

The Governor of Istanbul, Davut Gül, stated, "This movement, which started under the patronage of Mrs. Emine Erdoğan, has grown like a wildfire with the support of our honorable President. Today, when zero waste and environmental issues are discussed, Turkey is often cited as one of the top examples in the world. We have seen around the globe that the world is aging, resources are depleting, and even the non-depletable resources are polluting the environment and consuming humanity in a way. We can place borders on countries, travel with passports, and take security measures, but we cannot impose boundaries on climate, drought, rainfall, and poverty. When we look at migration, we see a chain stretching from Africa to Europe, Turkey, and even to America. We know that people do not change their homelands or leave their countries casually."

Migrations, wars, famines, and changes in seasons reveal an important truth: if no precautions are taken, we will face serious problems in leaving the world to future generations. While aiming to leave a better environment for our grandchildren, we see that in many areas, even those living today are facing inadequate conditions. It is not enough for only governments or civil society organizations to take action; the entire city, at least a significant part of it, needs to come together with a common will for this culture to become embedded in our lives. The Istanbul Zero Waste Week, scheduled for June 1-7, addresses this need. With the initiative proposed by our president, we are truly excited. It's an event fitting for the mother of cities like Istanbul. For the first time in the world, a week dedicated to zero waste will be celebrated, and zero-waste themed events will be organized. Our goal is to have 1,500 events across the city. I would like to thank all the government institutions, civil society organizations, volunteers, and everyone involved in organizing these events. With these activities, we aim to raise awareness about zero waste among the 16 million residents of Istanbul, especially our children.

WE MUST ALL WORK TOGETHER

Samed Ağırbaş, President of the Zero Waste Foundation, said, "Together with the 16 million residents of Istanbul, the municipalities, sub-districts, government institutions, provincial directorates, and the governorship of our city, Istanbul, will take part in this initiative."

Muhammed UZUN