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UK plastic waste sent to Turkey for disposal

By ANGUS McNEICE in London | China Daily Global | Updated: 2021-05-18 09:10

A man carries used plastic cups and bottles at The Fox on the Hill pub after its reopening in London, Britain, April 12, 2021. [Photo/Agencies]

London urged to increase investment in its recycling capacity to cut exports

Plastic waste from the United Kingdom is being burned or dumped in multiple sites in Turkey, posing a risk to both human health and the environment, according to a new investigation from environmental organization Greenpeace.

Turkey has emerged as a leading destination for UK plastic waste exports, ever since China banned imports of a number of waste products in 2018.

Last year, the UK sent 38 percent of its plastic exports to Turkey, which also experienced a marked increase in waste deliveries from other European nations.

UK and European Union rules stipulate that exported plastic waste must be recycled in destination countries. But Greenpeace found Turkey is struggling to deal with the increase in inbound plastics, and the investigation discovered multiple instances of waste being dumped or incinerated in open-air pits and road sides.

"As this new evidence shows, plastic waste coming from Europe to Turkey is an environmental threat, not an economic opportunity," said Nihan Temiz Atas, who heads Greenpeace biodiversity projects in the Mediterranean region. "Uncontrolled imports of plastic waste do nothing but increase the problems existing in Turkey's own recycling system."

Turkey imposed restrictions on certain types of plastic waste imports in January but UK trade data show that plastic waste exports to Turkey increased in both January and February, compared to the same period last year.

Atas said around 240 truckloads of plastic waste are now arriving into Turkey every day from across Europe, a 20-fold increase on 2016 levels.

The Greenpeace investigation identified 10 sites in Adana province, in southwestern Turkey, where piles of plastic waste had been dumped illegally by the roadside, in fields, and in waterways. In many cases, the plastic was on fire or had been burned. Greenpeace said much of the waste had branding from UK and German supermarkets and retailers.

"As far as we can see from the data and the field, we continue to be Europe's largest plastic waste dump," Atas said.

Before China imposed its ban on some waste imports, it received 45 percent of the world's plastic waste exports. In the period leading up to the ban, exporting countries had been encouraged to start processing more of their own waste domestically. Instead, many exporters continue to strain the processing abilities of other countries by sending them waste that previously would have gone to China.

Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines have all been forced to restrict plastic waste imports but authorities say waste continues to arrive illegally. Last month, the Malaysian government said it had returned 267 containers of illegal plastic waste that had arrived during the last two years. It is in the process of sending back 81 more.

The UK plastic waste rate is one of the highest in the world. Among the 20 nations with the highest total plastic waste production, the UK is second to the United States per capita, followed by South Korea and Germany, according to the Sea Education Association.

This month, the UK government announced it would double the levy on plastic bags, from 5p (7 cents) to 10p in order to discourage their consumption. Greenpeace argues that, along with decreasing single-use plastics and unnecessary packaging, the government needs to increase investment in domestic recycling capacity to reduce the amount of waste sent abroad.

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