THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
Related Articles
Türkiye is preparing to take an important step for the environment by phasing out single-use plastics…
As part of the Zero Waste initiative, the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry has drafted new regulations that will prohibit the sale of plastic cutlery, plates, cups, straws and cotton buds. The regulation, expected to begin this year, will later expand to restrict and label partial plastic products such as wet wipes, cleaning towels and cargo bags.
The ministry’s draft will initially halt the supply of single-use plastic products to the market. Officials estimate this move will prevent emissions equivalent to 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually and save around 1.5 billion Turkish Liras in waste management costs.
The ban is also aligned with the 2025–2028 National Circular Economy Strategy and Action Plan and the Roadmap for Single-Use Plastics, Marine Litter and Microplastics, which call for eco-friendly alternatives such as glass, porcelain, wood and cardboard.
In 2022 alone, Türkiye used 709,348 tons of single-use plastics, including 155,935 tonnes of beverage bottles, 120,000 tonnes of cups, 63,000 tonnes of food containers, 32,406 tonnes of cutlery, 25,584 tonnes of plates, 10,234 tonnes of straws, 5,117 tonnes of stirrers and 2,858 tonnes of cotton buds. Consumption has continued to rise in subsequent years.
Türkiye has already seen success in reducing plastic waste. Since the introduction of paid plastic bags in 2019, the country has prevented the generation of 3.09 million tonnes of plastic waste by 2025. This reduction avoided 42.1 billion liras in raw material imports and cut 252,761 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions…
