The From Soil to Soil Biodegradable Waste Management Project aimed to prevent food waste by converting unusable fruits and vegetables generated in marketplaces into compost for farmers, while transforming edible surplus into hot meals prepared in community kitchens.
The primary objective of the project was to reduce water use in agriculture, mitigate the impacts of agricultural drought, and ensure the sustainability of healthy food production through the use of compost. At the same time, the project sought to contribute to the prevention of food waste at a time when access to food was becoming increasingly limited.
Research conducted in the context of combating agricultural drought highlighted the necessity of soil restoration and the critical role of compost in this process. Marketplaces were identified as the most accessible and concentrated source of biodegradable waste, and the project was designed based on field observations carried out in these locations. With no investment or operating costs, the pilot implementation was launched in April 2021 in cooperation with the Diyarbakır Kayapınar Municipality, across local marketplaces.
Led by Ebru Baybara Demir and supported by volunteer experts and academics, the 45-day pilot phase involved daily collection visits to marketplaces after closing hours, gathering an average of 3.5–4 tons of fruits and vegetables per day. The collected materials were transported to a municipal composting site and processed to initiate a 6–8 week composting cycle.
During this process, it was identified that a significant portion of the approximately 300 tons of waste left in marketplaces consisted of edible food. These usable products were transferred to the municipal soup kitchen, where women in need were employed to transform surplus food into hot meals. A total of 1,200 meals were prepared daily for those in need, while remaining food was processed into packaged and preserved products and distributed through food banks.
Following the measurement and reporting of pilot results, the project was reviewed by the Petition Committee of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye and received strong recognition. The Committee subsequently decided to establish a sub-commission to support the nationwide expansion of the initiative.
Evolving into a coordinated social campaign under the slogan “We Improve Lives,” the project gained legal status in September 2021 as the Hayatı İyileştiriyoruz Environment and Climate Association. With the support of approximately 4,000 volunteers and six academics, the initiative expanded to 54 municipalities across 13 provinces, as well as to Istanbul International Airport and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.