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Our projects / Coastal ecosystems
Konyaaltı Beach
Plastic Partnership
We bring waste pickers, local residents and municipalities together to reduce plastic pollution on Konyaaltı Beach and in nearby areas.
01 / ABOUT THE PROJECTA partnership
A partnership
for the coast
and its workers.
Collecting plastic waste before it reaches the sea, protecting coastal life and recognising the work of the people involved.
Led by Yeryüzü Foundation (Earth Foundation for Combating Climate Change), the Konyaaltı Beach Plastic Partnership brings environmental protection and social responsibility together. With financial support from BeMed, the project aims to collect and sort plastic waste on the beach and in nearby areas, and channel it into the authorised municipal waste management system.
By combining waste pickers’ practical experience, community participation and municipal capacity, we aim to develop a consistent, safe and traceable operating model.
02 / OUR APPROACHA collaborative model
A collaborative model
built in the field.
We treat collection, sorting and local participation as complementary parts of one process.
Collection and sorting
Planned field activities focus on collecting plastic separately and sorting it into basic material categories. The aim is to channel the waste through municipal drop-off points into authorised recovery processes.
Safe and inclusive participation
We envisage a structure that supports waste pickers’ participation through protective equipment, safe working guidance and clearly defined roles. Planned payments for fieldwork and coordination with municipalities aim to support more secure working conditions.
Shared local responsibility
We value the involvement of beach businesses, vendors, visitors and local residents. Through on-site information and practical everyday guidance, we aim to reduce plastic littering and strengthen separate collection habits.
Recording, learning and improving
Recording collection quantities, waste types, participation and handover processes is central to the model. We aim to improve practice through field experience and prepare a guide that can be adapted for other coastal areas.
03 / A PEOPLE-CENTRED APPROACHWaste pickers are
Waste pickers are
part of the solution.
Waste pickers’ knowledge and labour play an important role in returning materials to the economy. The project values recognition of their work, better working conditions and more structured relationships with local authorities.
Our approach is based on shaping environmental change around the needs and participation of people working in the field. We aim for cooperation on coastal protection to support more humane working conditions as well.
04 / PARTNERSHIPSLocal experience,
Local experience,
shared responsibility.
Coordinated by Yeryüzü Foundation, the project is implemented through cooperation between municipalities, waste pickers and local participants.
Lead organisation
Yeryüzü Foundation
Project coordination, support for local participation, monitoring of field activities and reporting.
Financial support
Beyond Plastic Med · BeMed
The project is implemented with financial support from BeMed.
Institutional cooperation
Antalya Metropolitan Municipality
Linkage to the authorised waste management system and institutional coordination under the cooperation protocol.
Field coordination
Konyaaltı Municipality
Planning local implementation, coordinating field activities and supporting alignment with existing municipal services.
05 / IN THE FIELD
Working together.
Scenes from project activities on Konyaaltı Beach.
Sharing experience,
sustaining practice.
We plan to bring the lessons learned during the project together in a practical guide. Our aim is to enable the model to be adapted to local conditions on other coasts and to lay the groundwork for continued cooperation with municipalities beyond the project.