As the host of the upcoming UN COP31 climate summit, Turkey has decided to take a radical step in environmental protection and household waste management. A new draft regulation prepared by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change strictly prohibits pouring used vegetable oils down drains and into nature. This tightening of rules is the latest pillar of the “Zero Waste” initiative championed by First Lady Emine Erdoğan, which aims to collect and recycle both residential and commercial waste cooking oil.
Strict Ban for Households and Commerce
The draft regulation outlined by Hürriyet Daily News, currently undergoing institutional review, will drastically transform the waste management habits of the public and the hospitality industry. Under the new rules, it will be strictly forbidden to pour used vegetable oils into sinks, sewage systems, the sea, the soil, or any other receiving environment.
In the future, residents will be required to hand over used oil at designated municipal collection points, waste centers, or at retail units joining the program for this purpose. To facilitate the transition, municipalities must establish systems that allow for the direct collection of oil from households, as well as operate fixed collection points and mobile centers.
Supermarkets and similar retail stores will also be mandated to accept used oil in sealed containers from the public and subsequently forward them to licensed facilities. As a preventive measure, it will be mandatory to include the following warning on the packaging of vegetable oils sold in stores: “Do not pour used oil down the sink.”
The regulation extends to the commercial sector as well: restaurants, hotels, and food factories will be officially classified as “vegetable waste oil producers.” These commercial kitchens will be required to maintain a continuous contract of at least one year with a licensed biorefinery or waste transfer center.
One Liter of Oil Can Pollute One Million Liters of Water
The introduction of these new measures is also justified by shocking environmental and quantitative data. According to expert warnings, cooking oil poured down drains has a devastating impact on water resources: just 1 liter of used oil can pollute and destroy up to 1 million liters of drinking water.
To put this data into context, professionals have calculated that this massive amount of clean water is approximately equivalent to the total annual water consumption of 15 people.
Biodiesel and Aviation Fuel: The Fate of Collected Oil
The regulation sets a strict and clear framework for the ultimate fate of the collected household and commercial oils. The waste can only be transported to licensed biorefineries and transfer points, where it will be converted into eco-friendly alternatives. The primary goal is the conversion of the waste into biodiesel and sustainable aviation fuel.
To prevent abuse, the new Turkish regulation categorically bans the direct blending of used oils into fuels without proper processing, mixing them with fresh cooking oils, or recycling them into animal feed or cosmetic products.
Official Sources and References:
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Original News Source: Türkiye moves to ban household waste oil disposal (Hürriyet Daily News)
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(State organ referenced in the article, responsible for drafting the regulation: Republic of Turkey Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change / T.C. Çevre, Şehircilik ve İklim Değişikliği Bakanlığı – csb.gov.tr)