Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality and the district municipalities marked International Zero Waste Day on 30 March with a joint event bringing recycling and sustainable living practices together with residents, while highlighting that waste is not merely rubbish but also an economic and ecological resource.

To promote the zero waste approach on the occasion of International Zero Waste Day, Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality organised a series of practical activities introducing residents to recycling and sustainable living practices. Under the motto, “We are taking action together for a cleaner environment and a more liveable future,” the Department of Climate Change and Zero Waste, the Department of Environmental Protection and Control, and the district municipalities of Yenişehir, Bağlar, Sur and Kayapınar held a range of activities at Sümerpark Common Living Space.

The event was attended by Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary General Zerin Türk, Yenişehir Municipality Co-Mayor Mehmet Ergün, Kayapınar Municipality Co-Mayors Berivan Gülşen Sincar and Cengiz Dündar, department heads, students and local residents.

Workshops held throughout the day

As part of the programme, workshops were set up on recycling, reuse, waste management, source separation and zero waste awareness. The programme began at 10.00 am and continued until 4.00 pm. Owing to weather conditions, the event was held indoors rather than in the tents originally planned for the open-air venue. The workshops provided awareness-raising activities on the zero waste approach and sustainable living practices.

The recycling and upcycling workshops also featured educational sessions and hands-on activities in which participants took an active role, with the aim of strengthening environmental awareness. In this way, the event sought to raise awareness of how waste can be repurposed and how a zero waste lifestyle can be integrated into daily life. Handcrafted items made from recycled materials by disabled residents receiving training through the Department of Services for Persons with Disabilities and Older People were also exhibited during the event.

The Diyarbakır branch of the Chamber of Environmental Engineers also took part in the recycling-themed awareness event with an information stand.

“Our aim is to raise awareness”

Speaking at the opening of the event, Evin Dinar, Head of the Department of Climate Change and Zero Waste, said the programme had been organised to raise awareness. Dinar said: “Our aim is to raise awareness about waste. We do not see waste merely as a technical issue; rather, we regard it as a consequence of the relationship we have established with nature, which lies at the heart of the ecological problems we face today. From this perspective, our approach is to reduce waste generation in the first place, to prevent waste wherever possible, to encourage reuse and, most importantly, to develop the habit of separating waste in our homes, workplaces and all living spaces.”

Dinar noted that the materials used during the event were ordinary items from daily life and said participants would experience together what these materials could be transformed into. She also invited all residents to work with the municipality in waste management processes by helping to prevent and reduce waste generation and by making source separation part of everyday life.

“Our waste is not just rubbish”

Meltem Özbek, Head of the Zero Waste and Recovery Branch, said the event had been organised to draw attention to recycling. She said: “Our aim is to encourage residents first to reduce waste in their homes and prevent wastefulness, and where that is not possible, to separate waste at source so that it can be recycled. We have come together here to underline that our waste is not merely rubbish; it has economic value, and its recovery through recycling is also vital if we are to raise a generation that is environmentally conscious.”

“Recycling is not solely the responsibility of municipalities”

Özbek stated that workshops had been organised for children, young people and adults, and continued: “We are also here to help adults develop sustainable consumption habits. Today, we are here to show children, young people and adults how this waste can be transformed into something different, reused and recycled. Recycling is not solely the responsibility of municipalities; it is a system that must be organised and carried out collectively with the public. For the sake of future generations and greater environmental awareness, we want all our citizens to support us in this process.”

“An enjoyable activity”

One of the participants, visual artist Bestami Eği, also said that they had carried out an enjoyable activity with children. Eği said: “The aim here is above all to raise awareness among children, who may be affected most by the climate crisis. We speak about the future, but the future belongs to children — and what kind of future will we leave them? That is why we want children to have a voice here as well. By getting to know these materials better in practice, we are trying to produce different works of art from plastic waste and metals, while also having fun.”