The Zero Waste Project was launched in 2017 under the patronage of Emine Erdoğan, wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and has since been implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change (MoEUCC). Over its first eight years, the project has yielded measurable domestic outcomes. According to MoEUCC data, the national recovery rate rose from 13 percent in 2017 to 37.5 percent in 2025, while 90 million tons of recyclable waste were processed during this period, generating an economic contribution of 365 billion Turkish lira.
The project has also gained international recognition. In 2022, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 30 March the International Day of Zero Waste through a resolution submitted by Türkiye and co-sponsored by 105 countries. Furthermore, Emine Erdoğan assumed the chairmanship of the Advisory Board established by the UN Secretary-General for the 2023-2026 term, and the UN-Habitat Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia was opened in Istanbul.
This report argues that Zero Waste serves a dual function for Türkiye. On the one hand, the project constitutes the operational foundation of the country's transition to a circular economy; on the other, it provides Türkiye's climate diplomacy with an institutionalized policy instrument. Within this framework, the report examines the project's domestic transformation outcomes, its achievements within the UN system, and the preparations undertaken by Türkiye, which holds the presidency of COP31 to be held in Antalya in November 2026. The report further proposes four priority areas for the next phase of the project: disposal infrastructure, the management of waste imports, the social dimension of the project, and the future of the Advisory Board.
