Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change Ministry

The restoration and protection efforts for the picturesque Ayder Plateau in the northeastern province of Rize have been completed, successfully returning this lush green paradise to its former glory, the Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change Ministry has announced.

Türkiye is set to launch a comprehensive deposit return system on Jan. 1, 2025, marking a significant milestone in its zero waste initiative.

The system will feature 5,000 deposit return machines across the country, collecting a 25 kuruş deposit for each water, soda, cola and beer bottle in kiosks, grocery stores and markets.

As part of efforts to prepare Istanbul for a possible large-scale earthquake, governors have been appointed to all 39 districts to coordinate post-disaster search and rescue efforts and humanitarian aid needs.

As part of a project under to coordination of the Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change Ministry and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBTAK), the waters of the country will be monitored at 425 separate locations for a period of three years to combat marine pollution.

In a bid to combat uncontrolled and unregulated urbanization, which poses a significant threat for a possible earthquake, UAVs will now be utilized to detect illegal structures.

A record fine of nearly 34 million Turkish Liras ($887,000) has been imposed on two ships found to have polluted the İzmit Bay in the northwestern province of Kocaeli, the governor's office has announced.

More and more buildings in Turkey are being integrated into a system that will help authorities get information immediately about these structures and residences in case of an earthquake.

Under the Building Identification System, each building is assigned a unique QR code, with chips installed that store information such as who lives in the building and floor plans.