Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Mehmet Özhaseki on Friday presented three new projects on the seas and recycling as part of tackling climate change and preserving the country’s natural richness.

"The first of our projects is ‘The Seas are the people’s’ project. Our aim is that our people are be able to reach the seas unproblematically in our country, which is surrounded by seas on three sides. The occupation of our coastlines has to end," Özhaseki told journalists at a meeting in the capital Ankara.

Saying that Türkiye has 28 cities that have a coastline, Özhaseki highlighted that meetings were held with the governors of the cities in question while circular notes were sent to each of them in coordination with the Interior Ministry.

Although according to the Turkish Constitution’s article No.43, the seas are under the authority of the government, the country’s coastlines are often occupied by several businesses in the form of placing sun loungers, building toilets, showers and changing rooms, soil on the beach, turning the coastlines into gardens, concreting the beach and creating bars and or food stalls, restaurants, entertainment or sports areas.

"We are going to open 100 new public beaches within one year," the minister underlined.

On the other side, Özhaseki explained that another sea-related project is on anchor buoys.

"We will prevent terrestrial destruction by preventing yachts and boats from being tied to trees and historical and cultural structures in the bays. We will protect the undersea biodiversity, seawater quality, underwater ecology and sea meadows in our bays, which are the forests of the seas," the minister added, saying that a pilot project will be launched in Muğla’s Göcek.

The third project announced by the minister is on recycling efforts – the deposit management system, which will allow people to recycle their plastic, glass or aluminum bottles of 0.1-3 liters by returning them to machines. The system is already widespread in several European countries.

"We will not bring the machines for this system from abroad, but will rather encourage local production and local machines," Özhaseki said.

Through this system, a recovery value of 120 million euros ($128.46 million) will be achieved as well as a raw material saving worth 250 million euros, savings of 100 million euros made from the decreasing transportation, waste disposal and electricity costs in local administrations and in total 520 million euros worth of revenue will be gained.

The deposit machines will be placed in local administrations, public parks ("Millet Bahçeleri"), universities, markets, malls, hotels and restaurants. In the first phase, machines will be placed in 2,000 points this year, in 5,000 points within 2025, and in 30,000 points in 2028. Within this scope, a mobile app will be launched through which citizens will be able to retrieve the money for their recycled bottles.

Although Türkiye 2021 became the last country among the Group of 20 major economies to ratify the Paris Climate Accords, committing itself to meet the net zero emissions target by 2053, the country has since then engaged in several steps to address the issue. It renamed its relevant ministry to "Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change," in a sign to show the emphasis put on the climate. Türkiye also signed an agreement with the World Bank, France, Germany, the U.N., the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to support Ankara’s climate policies.

Mounting wildfires, floods, drought and increasing temperatures are already showing themselves as climate disasters in a display of alarm for the country.

"Our climate law will be sent to the parliament in the upcoming days," Özhaseki emphasized.

He mentioned that the percentage of protected areas has increased twofold. The number of wastewater plants has been increased this year to 1,213 from only 145 in 2002. Efforts on another 270 public gardens are continuing while 244 have been completed in an effort to increase green areas, especially in cities.

‘World’s biggest construction site’

On the other side, whilst addressing the issue of climate-related problems, the ministry also continues its focus on recovering the earthquake zone.

Currently, the world’s biggest construction is the earthquake zone, the minister said, indicating that a team of 153,000 people work in 1,900 sites.

"All earthquake zone houses will be completed by the end of 2025," Özhaseki said. Already, 76,624 houses were given to their owners and 200,000 will be given by the end of the year.

On Feb. 6, 2023, Türkiye was shaken by deadly earthquakes, later dubbed as the "Disaster of the Century," in which over 53,537 lives were lost, 107,213 were injured and over 800,000 independent units, encompassing homes and businesses, were severely damaged. The seismic waves, each with magnitudes exceeding 6.5, reverberated across a vast expanse, covering 120,000 square kilometers (46,332 square miles). An estimated 14 million people found themselves in the quake's impact zone.