“We can no longer bear this load” UK waste exports to Turkey on the rise again

New analysis of data by Greenpeace Türkiye has shown a 60% increase in UK waste exports to Turkey between 2022 and 2023 as recent declines in the amount sent to the nation reverse at speed.  

The analysis of UN Comtrade data[1] shows the UK was the largest exporter of waste to Turkey in 2023, with 140,907 tonnes sent to the nation across the year compared to 87,900 the previous year. Turkey has been the leading destination for plastic waste exports from European countries for the past five years with the UK being the largest contributor for all but one of these years. The revelation comes as nations prepare for the final round of negotiations for the Global Plastics Treaty in Busan, South Korea at the end of November. Campaigners hope this treaty will back rules to cut plastic production globally, reducing the amount of plastic waste nations produce. 

The scandal of waste exports to Turkey rose to prominence in the UK following a Greenpeace report in 2021 which revealed plastic bags and packaging from the UK being dumped and burned across southern Turkey. Exports from the UK had declined from a peak of 2020 to a low of 87,900 tonnes in 2022. But the rapid increase in 2023 suggests this was a temporary blip, with figures for the first five months of 2024 already showing an acceleration in waste exports..  

The rise in plastic waste exports to Turkey began in January 2018, when China banned plastic waste imports. As other countries like Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam imposed similar restrictions, Turkey saw an uncontrolled increase in waste shipments. Greenpeace Türkiye is urging the UK and other European nations to stop sending their plastic waste to Turkey and is calling on Turkey’s Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation, and Climate Change, as well as all relevant authorities, to take urgent action for a robust Global Plastics Treaty

Greenpeace Türkiye’s plastics campaign lead, Nihan Temiz Ataş, said:

“Following the release of our joint research report with Greenpeace UK in 2021, ‘Game of Waste,’ there was an immediate ban and a significant reduction in waste exports from the UK to Turkey. So, why are these exports increasing again? Our field research has shown that Türkiye’s soil, air, and water have been irreversibly contaminated by imported plastic waste. We call on the UK government to ensure full transparency and take full responsibility for managing its own waste.

“The Global Plastics Treaty presents our greatest opportunity to end Türkiye’s role in Europe’s plastic waste trade. If the treaty is strong enough, it could ensure concrete steps to prevent plastic pollution at every stage, from production to disposal. The reality is that plastic waste exports are proof that developed countries are shifting their burden to vulnerable, developing nations rather than addressing the issue at the source. For five years, Türkiye has become Europe’s dumping ground, and we can no longer bear this load. We demand a Global Plastics Treaty that completely bans plastic waste imports.”

Rudy Schulkind, political campaigner at Greenpeace UK said: 

“The UK can’t keep using nations like Turkey as a dumping ground for the mountains of waste we produce each year. This scandal is a symptom of the fact we produce far more waste than we can ever expect to deal with safely or effectively. We have to start taking responsibility and stop treating it with a harmful ‘out of sight, out of mind’ attitude.

“The UK government should absolutely be moving to ban all waste exports. But a longer term solution means addressing the sheer amount of plastic produced each year. That’s why it’s vitally important that ending waste exports is coupled with doing whatever it takes to deliver an ambitious Global Plastics Treaty, one that contains strong, legally binding cuts to global plastic production. That is the only way to tackle the overproduction of waste globally and the huge amount of plastic we pump out nationally.”

ENDS

Greenpeace UK – press.uk@greenpeace.org – +44 (0)20 7865 8255

Nihan Temiz Ataş, Greenpeace Turkey Plastic Campaign Officer, ntemiz@greenpeace.org 

Beyza Kural, Greenpeace Turkey Communications Officer, bkural@greenpeace.org

[1] Full Data tables available on request – summary below