On the first International Day of Zero Waste, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres praised the Turkish Government and First Lady Emine Erdoğan for their leadership in combatting waste and pollution. He emphasized the urgent need to eliminate waste to address the climate crisis, protect the environment and public health, and strengthen economies.
In 2017, First Lady Erdoğan initiated the zero-waste project in Türkiye. The United Nations General Assembly recognized the initiative’s success and adopted a resolution proposed by Türkiye, declaring 30 March as the International Day of Zero Waste.
The zero-waste initiative focuses on tobacco and its environmental impact at different stages, from cultivation through to the disposal of tobacco products. Each stage brings adverse consequences for the environment, including the use of essential resources such as trees and water, and the production of pollutants during manufacturing.
Tobacco product waste
In her speech on the International Day of Zero Waste, First Lady Erdoğan stated, “In a world where millions of people have no access to clean drinking-water, the production of a single cigarette consumes 3.7 litres of water – a fact that deeply hurts every responsible citizen of the world.”
She continued, “Cigarette butts are the most common waste observed on beaches and streets around the world, and they need a decade to fully degrade. Popular items such as electronic cigarettes and other heated tobacco products are threatening our environment and humanity as non-degrading waste.” Tobacco product waste is a major contributor to global litter, comprising 25–40% of all collected waste.
Professor Toker Ergüder, Programme Manager for Noncommunicable Diseases and Promoting Health through the Life-course at the WHO Country Office in Türkiye, held up Spain’s legislation as an example to follow. “In Spain,” he pointed out, “manufacturers of tobacco products bear the costs associated with the collection of waste from said products disposed of in public collection systems, including infrastructure, operation, and subsequent transportation and waste disposal.”
WHO calls on countries to impose the policy principle of extended producer responsibility on the tobacco industry, to hold it accountable for the cost of cleaning up tobacco product waste.