Deputy Minister Birpınar Discusses Turkey's Circular Economy Plan

Deputy Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and Chief Climate Negotiator Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Birpınar attended the opening ceremony of the "Technical Support Project for Assessing Turkey's Transition Potential to Circular Economy" held at a hotel in Ankara. Deputy Minister Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Birpınar delivered remarks at the opening ceremony. In his address, Birpınar emphasized that Turkey will recycle all packaged products and stated: "We have nowhere else to go. Our resources are finite. If we use these resources sustainably and pass them on to future generations, perhaps we will have done a good job."

"Turkey Will Recycle All Packaged Products"

The opening ceremony of the Technical Support Project for Assessing Turkey's Transition Potential to Circular Economy, financed by the European Union and the Republic of Turkey and implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, featured remarks by Deputy Minister Birpınar. Addressing the importance of recycling, Birpınar stated that Turkey will recycle all packaged products, saying: "Turkey, like many countries in Europe, will recycle all packaged products. We will even impose deposits on cigarettes to ensure the recycling of cigarette packages and, where possible, impose deposits on pesticide containers used especially in agricultural land." "I Believe We Need to Continue Working Together" Birpınar also emphasized the need for joint action on environmental issues: "There was mucilage in the Sea of Marmara. When mucilage occurs, it reaches Greece in three days, Italy in five days, or the reverse happens and it can come from there here. The same applies to air pollution and soil pollution. We trade with each other, not just energy. In these matters, we need to act together, and keep these issues above politics. I believe we need to continue working together to bring Turkey's environmental standards and infrastructure to EU standards and global best practices," he said. The project, which aims to contribute to developing a new perspective in Turkey on the concepts of "sustainable environment" and "sustainable development," is expected to last a total of 36 months.