60 tons of waste collected in Bursa Yıldırım through a recycling campaign

The 'Emektar Kitaplarınız Nakite Dönüşüyor' project, launched by the municipality in the Yıldırım district of Bursa, quickly attracted great interest from the public. Implemented with the vision of leaving a more livable, clean, and green district for future generations, this eco-friendly initiative makes a significant contribution to waste management while directly supporting the economy of families. The project, conducted under the leadership of the İklim Değişikliği ve Sıfır Atık Müdürlüğü, is of great importance, especially in instilling recycling awareness among youth and children. Used notebooks, school books, and test books accumulated in citizens' homes are collected in exchange for a certain fee, bringing them back into the economy and nature. Thus, while preventing waste from mixing into nature, citizens also find the opportunity to generate income by utilizing existing materials.

As part of the aforementioned recycling campaign, used notebooks, school books, and test books are purchased for 5 TL per kilogram and deposited into citizens' accounts. Thanks to this system implemented between 1 and 11 July, approximately 60 tons of waste were recovered within the first ten days. This figure reveals how sensitive the public is to the issue and plays a critical role in the local government achieving its environmental goals. The tens of thousands of kilograms of paper waste collected indirectly contribute to reducing the carbon footprint by preventing trees from being cut down. Consequently, an activity that appears to be a simple paper collection drive actually yields highly comprehensive results to protect the overall ecological balance of the district.

Due to intense public demand and overwhelming interest in the project, the municipality made an important decision to extend the campaign's duration. The event, initially scheduled to end on 11 July, will continue until 19 July thanks to the intense participation of the citizens of Yıldırım. During this period, citizens will be able to easily deliver their materials by visiting the permanent stand set up at the Barış Manço Kültür Merkezi. Additionally, through the Mobil Atık Getirme Araçları deployed at various points in the district, citizens are provided with the opportunity to receive service close to their homes. The use of mobile stations incredibly increases the participation of those who experience transportation issues or reside in neighborhoods far from the center.

Yıldırım Belediye Başkanı Oktay Yılmaz explicitly expressed his satisfaction with the public's favor towards this recycling mobilization. Emphasizing that the recovery of 60 tons of old school books and notebooks within the first ten-day period is a great achievement, Yılmaz drew attention to the public's environmental awareness. Furthermore, he underlined that this economic contribution created for the families of children who will go to schools in the new academic year is highly valuable. The mayor stated that with the payments made in return for the collected items, a small but helpful relief was provided to family budgets, and a practical step was taken towards protecting nature. Stating that as the campaign becomes traditional, this awareness will increase further and spread throughout the district, he invited all citizens to be sensitive.

Such comprehensive and innovative municipal projects prove that local governments are not limited to just infrastructure or urban planning, but also assume social and ecological responsibilities. The method of collecting waste directly in exchange for money stands out as one of the most effective methods applied to make recycling habits permanent. This model developed in Yıldırım is expected to offer a sustainable environmental policy that could serve as an example for other municipalities across the country. The reprocessing of educational materials to provide raw materials for the paper industry represents a highly critical cycle in terms of sustainable development goals. The proliferation of such steps, which prevent the waste of natural resources and increase public welfare, holds an invaluable legacy for the world of the future.