Recycling : Turkey repeals plastic import ban
Turkey revoked its ban on recycled plastic imports 8 days after its inception.
The decision was taken by the Turkish government following mounting pressure by the local plastic industry.
Said new regulations were set to put a stop specifically to the import of polyethylene plastics (found in shampoo and detergent bottles and soft plastic films) from the UK.
In 2020, the UK sent more plastic packaging waste to Turkey than any other country. According to the Environment Agency, over 200,000 tonnes were shipped out.
With China having imposed its own plastic import ban from 2018 onwards, in 2020, 39% of UK plastic waste ended up in Turkey, an increase of 3% percent when compared to a year ago.
The restrictions were first conceived of after Greenpeace investigations found that exported plastic waste sent from the UK to Turkey ended up being fly-tipped and burned rather than recycled.
Said legislation was rolled back after key players in the plastics industry argued that measures as they stood would punish thousands of recycling companies.
Megan Randles, political campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said: “It is concerning that the Turkish government has succumbed to industry lobbying and has lifted their ban on plastic waste imports just days after it came into force.
“With the Turkish government stalling on their own restrictions, the UK government must even more urgently ban all plastic waste exports and stop our plastic mess impacting other countries.
“We also need legislation to make UK companies reduce the amount of plastic they produce in the first place.”
Around 240 truckloads of plastic waste arrive from Europe in Turkey each day, which is twenty times the amount imported in 2016.
Yet, at 12%, the Turkish recycling rate is significantly low, with investigators having found plastic packaging from Tesco, Asda, Co-op, Aldi, Sainsbury’s, Lidl and Marks & Spencer dumped, left in bags or burned.
UK and EU rules, however, forbid the export of plastic waste unless it is for recycling purposes.