Picnickers turned Belgrad Forest into a garbage dump

Citizens going to Belgrad Forest for a picnic leave behind a heap of garbage. Due to the picnickers turning the forest into a garbage dump, the residents of the district rebel while Osman Çelebi, who voluntarily collects the garbage in the forest, said, ‘We are sorry as the people here. We constantly collect the garbage with our own budget. We have informed the municipality several times, now we are ashamed. They still don’t come to pick up this garbage.’

With the arrival of summer, people from Istanbul started flocking to picnic and recreation areas. When the citizens who came to picnic in Belgrad Forest in Sarıyer did not pick up their garbage when leaving, the forest turned into a dump. Leaving the food and plastic waste brought by the picnic-goers in the forest area caused pollution. The garbage heap under the sign ‘Dumping garbage is prohibited’ shocked onlookers. It was observed that the garbage was left under the trees instead of in containers. The residents of the district rebelled due to the forest turning into a garbage dump. Sarıyer residents claimed that Sarıyer Municipality did not clean the garbage, and they complained about the picnickers not picking up their garbage. It was learned that conscientious citizens cleaned the garbage in the forest with their own means.

‘We buy garbage bags with our own money’
Osman Çelebi, who said that he collects the garbage voluntarily but cannot prevent the problem, stated, ‘We are sorry as the people here. We constantly collect the garbage in this area with our own budget. We have informed the municipality several times, now we are ashamed. They still don’t come to pick up this garbage. We buy garbage bags with our own money, and some people come and pour out the garbage we collected and take the garbage bags. I don’t believe those who claim to be environmentalists and sensitive. I have never seen anyone with a garbage bag in their hands when they come here on weekends and leave from here. Some picnic areas have been in this state for 15 years. Because a fee is charged for picnic areas, I have witnessed people who say ‘I paid here so they will come and collect’ and deliberately throw their garbage. Last year, some garbage was collected from here by the Forest Management Directorate upon the initiatives of Zafer Murat Çetintaş, the Secretary-General of Istanbul Environmental Council. After that, no matter how many videos we shared or applications we made, there was no response. We told the municipalities, they said the garbage would be collected, but no one came to pick it up.’

‘We try to collect as much of the garbage left behind as we can see’
Celal Can Ünver, who came to Tozlu Bent for a picnic, said, ‘If everyone at least picked up their own garbage, there wouldn’t be such an accumulation, it’s actually not that difficult. We will pick up our own garbage, but I don’t know what the situation will be when we come next time. We are trying to collect as much of the garbage left behind as we can see.’