The Zero Waste Project, led by Emine Erdoğan, the wife of President Erdoğan, has been integrated into the Waste Management System of the Ministry of National Defense and has started to be implemented in all military units. Within this scope, zero waste equipment has been placed in ministry units to create 'Temporary Waste Storage Areas.' The waste sorted in these areas is delivered to licensed companies and municipalities for recycling. Paper, plastic, glass, and metal wastes are collected separately to contribute to the economy.

Şule Akar, the wife of National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, is personally monitoring the project's implementation within the Ministry of National Defense, and in order to raise awareness on this issue, zero waste training is provided to all military personnel, students of the National Defense University, and soldiers in the units. It has been reported that approximately 40,000 personnel have received this training to date.

COMPOST PRODUCTION HAS STARTED

As part of the project, compost devices have been installed at the headquarters of the General Staff, the Army Command Communication Electronic Information Systems (MEBS) School and Training Center Command, the Army War College Command, the 4th Corps Command, and the 11th Main Supply Center Command barracks. Uncooked food waste, including tea grounds, is collected and sent to these units to produce organic fertilizer, and compost production has begun. The organic fertilizer obtained from compost units is used in application greenhouses, Ministry of National Defense campuses, existing green areas, and the improvement of unproductive soils. The production in compost units reached 20 tons within 6 months. In units with large areas, compost production is carried out in open spaces. So far, a total of 1,000 tons of compost fertilizer has been produced in open areas, and unsuitable soil for tree planting in the Açıkır area of Polatlı is being enriched with compost fertilizer produced in the open to make it fertile.**

Tree planting activities are also ongoing in the area enriched with compost. A total of 228,144 saplings have been planted in the region over the past three years, with a survival rate of 70%. Moreover, the Zero Waste Project aims to create awareness about healthy and sustainable nutrition. In this context, regular training on 'Nutrition and Health' is provided to Turkish Armed Forces personnel.