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A promotion event for the "Zero Waste Project" by the Ministry of Environment has been held at the presidential palace.
While Emine Erdoğan, the wife of the President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Erdoğan presented the project, Mehmet Özhaseki, Minister of Environment and Urbanism also attended the event.
"Managing the environment has become the largest problem of the world and sustainable development is only possible with waste management," said Erdoğan.
"The wastes are sources of energy in disguise. We must transform consumption into production. Let's spread the culture of zero waste. We will protect the nature not with guards but with awareness inshallah," she added.
Minister Özhaseki said that they were able to desorb 45 tons of paper, 11 tons of plastic and 2,5 tons of glass in the last four months. Through these efforts, 766 trees were saved from being cut, greenhouse gas emission was reduced by eight tons and 165 gallons of oil were saved, the minister said.
WWF report on the Mediterranean Sea
A recent report by the World Wildlife Fund revealed that Turkey is the largest polluter of the Mediterranean Sea. Accordingly, 144 tons of plastic waste comes to the sea from Turkey every day. Turkey is followed by Spain (126 tons), Italy (90 tons), Egypt (77 tons), and France (66 tons).
The tourists who visit the Mediterranean coasts cause the amount of plastic pollution to increase by 40 percent every year, the report noted. (PT/VK)
