Waste Stream Management and ‘Zero Waste’ in Turkey - Part 1: Deposit and Refund Systems

The Turkish waste legislation is based on the requirements of EU’s legal framework on waste. With its ‘Zero Waste’ program, Turkey contributes to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. In 2018, a mandatory deposit and return system for certain packaging waste was introduced in Turkey, in order to improve the recycling rate. The implementation of this new regulation is scheduled for 2021. As part of the project, the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Urbanization could establish the necessary requirements in the areas of standardization, certification, administration and infrastructure and strengthen its expertise on take-back systems for packaging waste and management systems for non-hazardous waste.