Page 45 - Plastics News December 2020

Turkey remains biggest illegal dump for US and Canada approve pact as Basel
Europe's waste restrictions near

onnes of plastic packaging from popular British
Tsupermarkets like Sainsbury's and French frozen
food retailer Picard is illegally dumped in Turkey, the
top destination for European waste, according to a
report from AFP. It states illegally dumped plastic

N ew trade restrictions will make it more difficult to
ship scrap plastic from the U.S. to most countries
next year. But exports to Canada are unlikely to be
affected by the policy. Countries around the globe are
expected to start implementing new scrap plastic
import regulations in 2021, in line with the Basel
waste is visible at a growing number of sites in southern
Convention amendment that was approved last year.
Turkey. There are at least 10 known sites. AFP visited
Because the U.S. is not a party to the Basel Convention
three last month. A reporting team came across a
and most of its export markets are, it's unclear how
fourth by chance after discovering a load of waste
exactly it will impact U.S. exports, but is likely to slow
dumped on the side of a road in southern Adana
the flow of plastic out of the country. That's on top of
province. Piled in mounds or strewn in ditches, plastic
already-declining export volumes due to fluctuating
waste from the UK, France, Italy and the Netherlands
overseas markets. Earlier at meeting of industry
was identified by AFP. Turkey was the top destination
stakeholders,- MRF Summit hosted by ISRI and the Solid
for waste exported from the EU in 2019, data from
Waste Association of America (SWANA) held in
Eurostat showed on April 16. Its officially recorded
November , Adina Renee Adler, vice president of
imports amounted to around 11.4mn tonnes. Despite
advocacy for the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries
its green aspirations, the EU still recycles less than a (ISRI), explained that the largest U.S. export market
third of its plastic waste, burning or burying the rest. It will allow trade as usual. Adler announced a recently
only recycles half of that third itself, sending the negotiated arrangement between the U.S. and Canada
remainder abroad. Turkey became Europe's go-to that will allow scrap plastic shipments between the two
destination for plastic waste after China began to close countries to continue. The Basel Convention permits
its doors to foreign waste from January 2018. Monthly agreements between specific countries to allow
imports of plastic waste from Europe leapt by more exceptions to the Basel controls, Adler explained. “We
than tenfold from 2016 to 2019, according to Eurostat are just learning this week that the United States and
data, with Turkey taking in nearly a quarter of what the Canada have successfully negotiated an arrangement
EU exported last year. Sedat Gundogdu, a professor at that will preserve the status quo of trade” in all non-
Cukurova University in Adana said, “As Western Europe hazardous plastics, she said, that means mixed-plastic
pays for the waste to be taken away, there is a financial bales will be allowed to move between the countries,
temptation for Turkish firms that import it to dump it for example, whereas those bales will be tightly
rather than pay to recycle it.” controlled for export to other countries.

DECEMBER 2020 45 Plastics News