Foreigners, locals unite to keep Türkiye’s coastal town Kaş clean

A small environmental initiative started by two foreign residents in Türkiye’s coastal town of Kaş in Antalya has grown into a group of about 150 volunteers dedicated to cleaning up nature spots in the area.

Russian Andrey Bobylev and Frenchman Paul Moisson, who moved to Kaş during the COVID-19 pandemic, began picking up litter while hiking. Their efforts soon attracted other volunteers, leading to the formation of “Birlikte Temizleyelim-Kaş” (“Let’s Clean Together-Kaş”), which now includes many local and foreign residents.

The group, whose members range in age from 10 to 60, gathers at least once a week to collect litter while walking through Kaş’s historical sites, beaches, forests, scenic overlooks, harbors and roadsides.

In an interview on Tuesday, Bobylev told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the idea of environmental cleanup took shape after meeting Moisson.

“We started about four years ago, and the group grew through friends from Russia and social media,” Bobylev said. “We clean for nature, for Kaş, for people, with the motto, ‘It’s not my trash, but it is my town.’ Our group includes people from Türkiye, Russia, the U.S. and the U.K., all working together to keep the environment clean.”

Since its inception, the group has collected approximately 4,000 large garbage bags of waste, mostly consisting of beverage bottles, plastic water bottles and snack packaging, Bobylev said.

Environmental volunteer Sinem Sunter emphasized the collaborative nature of their work.

“We first identify the most polluted areas and gather there to clean,” she said. “So many things that belong in trash bins end up in nature. People come to these beautiful spots to enjoy the view but leave their garbage behind. Nature doesn’t deserve this. If everyone simply carried their trash out, there wouldn’t be a problem. We’ve covered many areas of Kaş and collected thousands of bags of trash.”

Nikita Vatutin, another volunteer, highlighted the impact of their efforts.

“It feels meaningful to do this,” Vatutin said. “If we could also recycle the waste we collect, it would be even better. Every week, we gather about 30 bags of trash. Please, let’s keep our city and environment clean.”