Mediterranean talks shape Türkiye’s plastic strategy under Zero Waste

Dilara Özer - ADANA

Türkiye is stepping up efforts to curb plastic pollution in the Mediterranean under its Zero Waste initiative, with Adana and Mersin hosting the first two of four regional coordination meetings ahead of a national plastic waste workshop in Istanbul.

The consultations, also held in Muğla and Antalya, bring local experience into a common national approach to plastic waste management.

Adana represents a key upstream source of pollution. The agricultural and industrial province has about 5,000 kilometers of irrigation canals and more than 4,000 kilometers of drainage channels, through which plastic waste can contaminate water and agricultural land before reaching rivers and the Mediterranean.

Governor Mustafa Yavuz said authorities were considering more frequent canal cleaning, identifying pollution hotspots, installing waste-capture systems and using cameras to detect illegal dumping.

Adana has 186 licensed waste recovery facilities. Authorities conducted 1,785 environmental inspections through Aug. 15, including 487 focused on waste. Four facilities without the required permits were ordered to halt operations, while fines totaling 48.6 million Turkish Liras were imposed for violations. An Adana Provincial Action Plan covering waste, wastewater treatment and microplastic pollution is being prepared. Yavuz said it would include clearly assigned responsibilities, deadlines and a monitoring system to ensure measures continue.

In Mersin, where plastic waste reaches the Mediterranean directly, Governor Atilla Toros said 20 plastic recycling facilities had been inspected and two penalized. Samples from urban wastewater treatment plants were also being analyzed.

Toros noted that currents in the eastern Mediterranean can carry pollution from other countries toward Türkiye’s shores. Authorities are coordinating environmental safeguards at Mersin Port with public institutions and the port operator.

Samed Ağırbaş, chairman of the Zero Waste Foundation, said the priority was preventing plastic from reaching the sea rather than simply cleaning it up afterward. He said reducing unnecessary plastic use, preventing waste at source and strengthening reuse and recycling must be addressed together.

The process will culminate in an Aug. 31-Sept. 1 workshop in Istanbul bringing together 17 ministries, more than 40 general directorates, local authorities, universities, industry and civil society. Discussions will cover the plastics cycle from production and consumption to waste management and recycling, as well as microplastics, health, financing, governance and international cooperation.

The meetings are expected to contribute to a national roadmap aimed at reducing plastic leakage into waterways and the sea, strengthening the circular economy and protecting Türkiye’s coastal and marine ecosystems.