Türkiye is turning its zero waste philosophy into a national strategy against plastic pollution, as the Zero Waste Foundation brought around 600 representatives from government, industry, academia and civil society together in Istanbul for a two-day Türkiye Plastic Waste Workshop. The meeting, held on 31 August and 1 September 2026, is designed to feed directly into the country’s 2053 Plastic Vision as preparations accelerate for COP31 in Antalya.
FAKTA
- What: Türkiye Plastic Waste Workshop, organised by the Zero Waste Foundation (Sıfır Atık Vakfı)
- When: 31 August – 1 September 2026
- Where: Istanbul, Türkiye
- Who: Around 600 participants across 15 thematic tables; representatives connected to 17 ministries
- Goal: Policy recommendations for the 2053 Plastic Vision, feeding COP31 preparations
- Next: Zero Waste Foundation takes the agenda to New York Climate Week, 20–27 September
The workshop examined the entire plastic life cycle — from raw materials and product design through production, consumption, reuse, collection, recycling and the use of secondary raw materials. According to independent reporting on the meeting, participants prioritised the use of recycled materials, source-separated collection, mechanical and advanced recycling technologies, stronger tracking and certification systems, reducing single-use plastics, and the use of digital and artificial-intelligence tools for monitoring.
The 2053 Plastic Vision takes shape
Opening remarks at the workshop came from Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Istanbul Governor Davut Gül and Samed Ağırbaş, President of the Zero Waste Foundation and the COP31 High-Level Climate Champion, according to the foundation’s announcement of 30 September.
“Zero Waste has taught us that waste should be prevented, reduced, reused and returned to the economy as a resource,” Ağırbaş said in the foundation’s statement. “At the heart of this approach is the efficient use of our resources.”
The recommendations emerging from the 15 thematic tables are meant to reduce waste, prevent pollution and contribute to the 2053 Plastic Vision of Türkiye — a long-term framework for circular plastics that mirrors the country’s 2053 net-zero emissions target.
The workshop was built on the Zero Waste Vision led by H.E. Emine Erdoğan, founder of the Zero Waste Movement, Chair of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Zero Waste and Honorary President of the Zero Waste Foundation.
Volunteers collect plastic waste in an Istanbul park. Türkiye’s zero waste approach, led by the Zero Waste Foundation, is being positioned as a practical climate measure on the road to COP31. Photo: Watan News
Zero Waste Districts: from ambition to implementation
Days after the Istanbul workshop, the foundation moved the agenda onto the global stage. On 24 September, during Climate Week NYC, the Zero Waste Foundation announced the next step in the Global Zero Waste Districts Initiative at an event hosted by the Global Methane Hub, held under the auspices of the COP31 Climate High-Level Champion.
The initiative treats a city district as the practical scale where commitments can be delivered, measured and financed — bringing together facilities, waste streams, shared infrastructure, local governance and investment within a defined area.
“Keeping organic waste out of landfills can cut methane, helping reduce the air pollution that makes people sick,” said Marcelo Mena, CEO of the Global Methane Hub. “Zero Waste Districts gives cities a practical way to deliver those health benefits while creating jobs, recovering valuable resources, and building solutions that can scale.”
“Zero Waste is climate action. But commitments alone do not deliver results. We need practical models that help cities move from ambition to implementation,” Ağırbaş said. “Zero Waste Districts give us a way to bring governments, communities, businesses and finance together around a defined place, with measurable outcomes and a pathway to scale.”
The road to COP31 in Antalya
Türkiye will host COP31 from 9 to 20 November 2026 in Antalya, and waste and circularity are becoming a visible thread in the host country’s preparations. The Istanbul workshop follows the Zero Waste Forum 2026 in June, which gathered representatives from 183 countries under the theme “Road to Antalya: Zero Waste as Climate Action,” and issued the Road to Antalya Declaration.
The foundation said Ağırbaş’s participation in New York Climate Week placed Türkiye’s domestic plastic policy discussions within a wider international climate setting — connecting the Istanbul workshop’s technical recommendations with the diplomatic calendar ahead of Antalya.
Read more of our zero waste coverage on Türkiye’s 2053 Plastic Vision coverage on watannews.dk in English, and see the Global Methane Hub’s announcement on the Zero Waste Districts initiative.
