Turkey conducts sea‑floor cleanup drives during Environment Week

During Turkey’s Environment Week, divers cleared rubbish from the seabeds of two coastal cities. In Tekirdağ, the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Urbanisation oversaw a dive that retrieved car tyres, fishing nets, iron pipes, blankets, boat parts, glass, plastic bottles and other household waste. The collected debris was displayed at the fish‑harbour entrance to raise public awareness. Regional Environment Director Ali Kemal Atlı said, “Everyone must be sensitive to environmental cleaning; today we worked with dive teams to create awareness, and everyone should do their part for a cleaner environment.”

A similar operation took place in Çanakkale, where local officials, university students and volunteers removed items including a “No Smoking” sign from the sea floor. The event incorporated surface and underwater cleaning, workshops on recycling, textile redesign and composting, aiming to highlight marine pollution and promote sustainable practices.

Both clean‑up actions were part of the nationwide “World Is Our Trust” theme for World Environment Day and Turkey Environment Week, intended to showcase the extent of marine litter and encourage community involvement.