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Volunteers in the Aksehir district of Konya collect glass and bottle waste from 10 hectares (24.7 acres) of forested areas as part of an effort to help prevent forest fires.
Led by the Aksehir Active Mountaineering Training Center (AKADEMIK) Youth Sports Club, 30 volunteers gathered at the Hidirlik area with the participation of volunteers from the Aksehir Youth Center.
Collecting glass bottles, broken glass fragments, and other waste carelessly discarded in the forested area, the volunteers both cleaned up the environment and helped prevent potential fires. The volunteers come together periodically to carry out cleanup work in the forested area.
Abdullah Dai, a member of the AKADEMIK Youth Sports Club, told an AA correspondent that as a club, they see it as their responsibility not only to reach mountain summits but also to protect the nature they walk through.
Dai said they have closely observed changes in nature for years, noting that they witnessed nature renewing itself during the pandemic period as human impact decreased, while in recent years environmental pollution has increased again.
Noting that rising forest fires had spurred them into action, Dai said: "A piece of glass that seems simple can be the starting point of a fire capable of destroying thousands of trees.''
''Rather than simply collecting trash, we want nature not to be polluted in the first place. We carried out work across a 10-hectare area in Aksehir's Hidirlik location. I hope citizens will become more conscious about the fact that glass and bottle waste can cause forest fires," he added.
Recalling that they had carried out similar events before, Dai said the work would be repeated in the coming months.
The club's goal is not simply to clean forests; members stated they wish to create lasting awareness among people about not polluting forests.
Aksehir Forest Management Chief Mehmet Korkmaz noted that the forests in the Sultan Mountains took on their present appearance thanks to afforestation efforts carried out in the 1960s, adding that protecting this legacy is everyone's shared responsibility.
Emphasizing that glass waste left in nature during the hot summer months poses a serious risk, Korkmaz said, "Glass waste carelessly left in nature acts as a magnifying lens in this hot weather, serving as an open invitation to forest fires. We cleaned up the waste in the forested area in order to protect our green homeland and eliminate the risk of fire."
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