BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 20. Türkiye plans to
increase its waste recycling rate to 60% by 2035 and scale it up
further to 70% by 2053, said Hasan Suver, Deputy Minister of
Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of Türkiye, Trend reports.


He made the remark during a session titled "Closing the Loop:
Advancing Waste Management on the Path to a Circular Economy" held
within the framework of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum
(WUF13) in Baku.


According to him, unmanaged waste, particularly within
vulnerable urban areas, generates severe environmental liabilities
along with significant climatic and social risks. "The uncontrolled
accumulation of waste drives methane emission growth, contaminates
water and soil resources, and amplifies the risk of flash floods
and environmental disasters due to clogged municipal drainage
networks," Suver pointed out.


The deputy minister noted that Türkiye approaches waste
management not merely as a disposal utility, but as a core pillar
of climate policy, public health, social inclusion, and sustainable
development paradigms.


He emphasized that the country's state policy anchors itself to
the principles of the waste hierarchy and the circular economy.
"Our foundational priority centers on waste prevention, alongside
separate sorting, reuse, recycling, and reintroducing secondary
materials back into the economic stream under our comprehensive
'Zero Waste' blueprint," he stressed.


Initiated by the ministry in 2017, the "Zero Waste" project has
evolved into a global ecological movement, Suver noted, with waste
management systems now successfully deployed across thousands of
public and commercial structures. To popularize this approach,
encourage sustainable production and consumption patterns, and
raise ecological awareness, Türkiye executes joint operational
programs alongside various institutions and civil
organizations.


"Roughly 28 million individuals have completed waste management
training modules. Türkiye's waste recycling rate expanded from 13%
in 2017 to 34.92% in 2023, hit 36.08% in 2024, and reached 37.53%
as of 2025. According to ministry data, from the project's launch
through the end of 2025, the country processed approximately 90
million tons of recyclable materials, including paper, plastic,
glass, metal, and organic waste," he reported.







Suver added that these recycling mechanisms successfully
returned 365 billion Turkish Liras back into the national economy,
generated significant savings in electricity, water, and oil
consumption, and substantially lowered municipal reliance on
landfills.


Today marks the fourth day of WUF13 in Baku.


The first day included a ministerial meeting dedicated to the
New Urban Agenda, a ministerial roundtable, assemblies for women
and civil society, business sessions, and discussions on urban
prosperity. An official ceremony marking the raising of the UN and
Azerbaijani flags also took place.


The second day stood out for the inaugural Leaders' Summit,
featuring high-level discussions on the global housing crisis,
urbanization policy, and urban resilience. Concurrently, the
opening of the Mexico City pavilion took place, serving as a
significant platform for expanding cooperation with the Latin
American region and preparing for WUF14.


The third day of WUF13 featured a comprehensive program of
events covering the global housing crisis, the formation of safe
and inclusive cities, climate resilience, artificial intelligence
and urban governance, green urbanization, social equity, and
sustainable transport.


WUF13, which has attracted more than 40,000 registered
participants from 182 countries, will continue until May 22. Held
under the theme “Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and
communities,” the forum brings together governments, international
organizations, experts, and representatives of civil society to
strengthen global cooperation in the field of sustainable urban
development.