Page 33 - Plastics News June 2019

FEATURES

“Turkey can’t even handle their own waste” Deniz Bayram, to Turkey and several other developing countries. Limited
Greenpeace Mediterranean Project Coordinator, and legal recycling at the point of origin of trash has generated an
counsel stated that Turkey cannot even handle its own underground industry of street workers, or scavengers,
waste, therefore the unregulated import of waste will who collect recyclable trash. Recep Karaman, president of
cause further problems to Turkey’s recycling system. She the Street Waste Collectors Association, said that plastic
suggested that Turkey immediately revise its import policies waste imports are an unregulated business through which
on plastic waste recycling. According to a 2015 Organisation significant amounts of hazardous waste are entering Turkey.
for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report, Karaman emphasized that these cheap imports had two
Turkey sends only 1 percent of its own waste to recycling visible consequences. First, they put a significant strain
centers. Among all OECD member countries, Turkey and on Turkey’s own scavengers, whose livelihood is being
Chile are the only countries that have become worse at threatened; the local waste management industry suffers
recycling since 2000, with a 33 percent and 78 percent as a result of a cheap supply of plastic scraps. Second is
decline respectively. The data analysis of the Greenpeace the environmental threat. He said, “These guys are the
report is based on trade statistics between October 2016 intermediaries. They buy the cheap plastic scraps and sell
and November 2018. the good bits to the industry. The leftovers are not recycled
but incinerated or landfilled.” Both methods are dangerous
Why have Turkey’s plastic waste imports grown as they are conducted illegally and through primitive means,
so exponentially? generating further pollution for air, soil and water sources.
According to Yavuz Eroglu, the president of the Turkish The crucial issue both Karaman and Eroglu emphasize is that
Plastics Industry Foundation that Turkey ranks second regulations and oversight for the kind of waste imported
in Europe as plastic producer after Germany and sixth in are too lax and ineffective. Bozoglu emphasized that some
the world. Eroglu said, “We produce 10 million tons of simple steps can be taken to minimize the damage. “There
plastics annually. 250,000 people are employed and 14,000 needs to be specific and clear guidelines about importing
companies are active in the sector.” Eroglu and other experts clean plastic waste that is ready to be recycled. There also
say China’s new regulations limiting plastic waste imports needs to be proper monitoring of these imports.
are the main cause of the sharp rise in waste transported

33 June 2019 Plastics News