Şişli Municipality started a cooperative effort to improve the working conditions and quality of life of street collectors in the district. From now on, street collectors in the district will carry out their activities under the umbrella of “Environmental Waste Collectors Business Cooperative”. He carried out an important project by taking the efforts of Şişli Municipality to make the recycling and zero waste system in the district more effective and efficient. Within the scope of the project, which was implemented with the aim of improving the working and living conditions of street collectors; Collecting packaging waste from the streets, street collectors in the district united under the roof of a cooperative. The project, the first steps of which were taken 2 years ago, was implemented after an intense work in the field for about 5 months. As a result of the cooperative efforts carried out, the “Environmental Waste Collectors Business Cooperative” was established and became a legal entity. The rickshaws, which became a legal entity by becoming a cooperative, will work in coordination with Şişli Municipality and the licensed recycling company in Şişli district. The prices were determined jointly by the tripartite commission consisting of waste collectors, the municipality and the company that won the tender. With the developed business model, it is aimed to ensure that rickshaw drivers work in better conditions and more efficiently, to generate sustainable income and to develop the zero waste system in Şişli.

Within the scope of the cooperative established, street collectors will be given identity cards and various equipment by the municipality. Applications for ID cards started to be received from collectors and within a month, approximately 50 collectors applied. The cooperative, in which the collectors who buy ID cards will be partners, will work in integration with the Şişli Neighbor Card system, which is successfully implemented in Şişli.

Pointing out that they have prepared the necessary institutional infrastructure for the established cooperative to be an enterprise operating in accordance with the principles and values ​​of universal cooperatives, Keskin said that a series of studies, including various training programs, were carried out for the collectors to reach the awareness of cooperatives and they were very hopeful due to the interest shown: We stand by our working brothers who carry out the rickshaw business in Şişli. With this project, we will jointly improve the decent work and living standards of our collector brothers. We will get closer to our zero waste target through these cooperatives and our rickshaw brothers, which we will integrate into our Neighbor Card system. A study within this scope will be a first in Turkey. We believe that if the project, for which we received approval and support by presenting it to our Chairman, Mr. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, is successful, it will set an example for all local governments in our country, especially in Istanbul.”