What is the project about?

Social Cohesion through Inclusive Zero-Waste in Refugee Hosting Municipalities Project built on national waste management regulations to improve waste management systems in municipalities hosting significant numbers of Syrians under Temporary Protection (SuTP) and Refugees. Funded by the U.S. Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (USPRM) with a budget of over $4.5 million, the project aims to enhance the capacity of these municipalities to implement inclusive and participatory waste management practices.

Implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change (MoEUCC), the project will focus on expanding the zero-waste model; providing essential equipment, materials, and vehicles for waste collection; building local capacity to enforce waste management regulations; and improving the living and working conditions of vulnerable populations in both urban and rural areas where waste management presents significant environmental and social challenges. 

What is the current situation?

In areas where refugees are particularly concentrated, the insufficient solid waste management continues to have a multi-layered impact on social cohesion. The waste generated by the additional population is stretching the capacity of municipalities to provide services, as waste management is one of their main expenses. Poorly managed waste is an obvious nuisance, which can lead increase in social tension between host and refugee communities.

The pressure on waste services has been drastically affected by the devastating earthquakes that struck Türkiye on 6 February 2023. The “Türkiye Earthquakes Recovery and Reconstruction Assessment" (TERRA)[1] highlights that the most direct impact of the earthquake on municipal services is related to solid waste and the safe management of debris from collapsed buildings. The earthquakes destroyed large amounts of municipal equipment and infrastructure, limiting waste management operations and resulting in the release of hazardous waste into the environment.

New opportunities have emerged to address these challenges. The Government Zero Waste Policy initiated by the MoEUCC in 2017 provides a great entry point to continue fostering win-win solutions benefiting both host communities and refugees. The MoEUCC is stepping up its support to municipalities to implement local zero-waste strategies and sees the social elements of zero-waste management as a defining feature of the policy in Türkiye, striving to ensure that earnings from recycling benefit the most vulnerable. Amongst the new MoEUCC regulations, registration of waste pickers to local authorities has been promoted to regularize this work and set minimum standards for decent employment opportunities. 

What is our mission?

UNDP is uniquely positioned to create synergies around the project by ensuring strong cooperation and coordination with relevant actors. Indeed, UNDP is not only leading the resilience component of the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) but also the early recovery sector of the earthquake response. It has always played a leading role in coordinating solid waste and municipal support activities in the refugee response in Türkiye, as well as in the 3RP municipal resilience strategy and the mapping of municipal support interventions. UNDP will build on this experience and mechanism to continue coordinating with relevant stakeholders and strengthen linkages with international actors involved in supporting municipalities targeted by the project. 

Bringing capacity development of local authorities with increased social cohesion capacity, UNDP implements a unique model to reserve the discriminatory impact of high population and devastating effects of earthquakes based on inclusive zero-waste practices at the local level.

How are we doing this?

UNDP is supporting targeted municipalities to reach harmonization with MoEUCC regulations in the field of solid waste management and contributes to their capacities for their main goals. The project focuses on implementing community-based zero waste practices by establishing zero waste markets and incentive mechanisms within municipalities. This initiative is complemented by providing essential new equipment, including electric waste collection triporteurs, waste sorting systems, zero-waste containers, mobile waste collection vehicles, zero-waste markets, incentive software feasibility, personal protective equipment, and hygiene equipment. To better demonstrate the needs of targeted municipalities for zero waste management, the needs assessments is being conducted with field visits, and Zero-Waste Needs Assessment Reports for each targeted municipality are being prepared. These reports are prepared not only to demonstrate the equipment needs to be addressed within the project scope but also to serve as a guide for municipalities in laying the groundwork for future activities they will implement.

Additionally, UNDP is supporting municipalities in adhering to regulations for waste collectors who are both host community members and Syrians under Temporary Protection (SuTP) by supplying necessary materials, equipment, and personal protective gear, and ensuring waste collectors are properly registered. It is also enhancing municipal capabilities through targeted support in zero waste approaches and social assistance.

To foster solidarity and social cohesion through community-based waste management, UNDP is also measuring changes in public perception and behavior towards waste collectors. The activities carried out within the project framework include raising awareness, providing guidance services, training community leaders, and enhancing the capacity of municipal staff. These efforts aim to support and improve social cohesion through targeted interventions and capacity-building initiatives. Furthermore, the project is supporting civil initiatives in waste management by coordinating with municipalities to bolster grassroots efforts in this field. 

How will Türkiye benefit

The solid waste management capacities of Konak (İzmir), Center & Besni (Adıyaman), Haliliye (Şanlıurfa), Antakya & İskenderun & Reyhanlı (Hatay), and Center (Kilis) municipalities will be supported through essential technical equipment, capacity building, and awareness-raising activities for municipal staff. Additionally, the needs assessment reports that have been prepared will provide guidance for future waste management practices, and community involvement will be supported through incentive mechanisms in zero-waste collection.

Social cohesion between host communities and SuTP will be achieved through changes in public perception toward waste collectors, training of community wardens, and raising community awareness for the comprehensive addressing and prevention of the waste problem. All these efforts aim to improve the living and working conditions of communities in urban and rural areas where environmental and social problems are caused by solid waste, in addition to contributing to governmental regulations in solid waste management on a local scale. In line with these objectives, the activities implemented are expected to reach approximately 60,000 people by the end of the project.

[1] Strategy and Budget Office, UNDP, UN, World Bank and European Union, Türkiye Earthquakes Recovery and Reconstruction Assessment, March 2023, https://www.sbb.gov.tr/turkiye-earthquakes-recovery-and-reconstruction-assessment/