Turkey’s plastic ban.
Turkey is currently the destination for a large majority of the UK’s plastic waste, according to Greenpeace. Unfortunately, In Turkey, the plastic waste ends up being dumped in landfills, burned in incinerators or left to pollute in the ocean.
The investigation revealed that the plastic waste coming from the UK to Turkey is an environmental threat, and not an economic opportunity. The uncontrolled import of plastic waste only increases the problems that already exist in Turkey’s own recycling systems.
It was reported that the UK exported 688,000 tonnes of plastic packaging in 2020, which is a daily average of 1.8 million kilograms. 486,000 tonnes of plastic were recycled in the UK. What’s even scarier is that the UK sent even more plastic to Turkey in January 2021 than it did in the same month last year. The numbers went up from 12,400 tonnes to 14,500 tonnes. In February of 2021, it more than doubled to 30,300 tonnes of plastic.
The UK is the second biggest user of plastic waste per person in the world, with the US being the first. At first, China was a key destination for plastic waste, but China banned the importation of many types of plastics in 2017. Therefore, Turkey has become the recipient of British plastic waste. Plastic waste from leading supermarkets in the UK, which were being dumped, burned or piled into mountains, and then left to spill into the rivers and the ocean. They also found plastic waste spilling into waterways and floating downstream.
The new plastic import ban starts on the 2nd of July 2021. The Turkish government announced the ban, falling under commodity code 3915.10.00.00
The ban will include polyethylene (PE) plastic. Polyethylene makes up 94% of the plastic waste which the UK exports to Turkey and 74% of all plastic waste Turkey receives. The ban does not expand to the importing of water bottles that are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or bottle caps, food pots & tubs made of polypropylene (PP).
The UK is not the only culprit
It has been found that other European countries have also chosen Turkey as the main receiver of their plastic waste. There are about 241trucks full of plastic waste that ends up in Turkey every day from across Europe.
The UK en EU rules states that plastic waste should not be exported to countries unless it is definitely going to be recycled. However, Turkey’s recycling rate is only 12%, which is the lowest of any OECD member.
What you can do
You as a consumer can try your best to reduce plastic usage, which will ultimately reduce plastic waste. Say no to plastic straws and cutlery. Carry a water bottle, shopping bags and a keep cup with you at all times. Avoid buying things with unnecessary plastic packaging.
If you do buy products with plastic, make sure to recycle the plastic properly. Alternatively, you can look at some plastic alternatives here.
How does Kleiderly contribute?
At Kleiderly, we aim to educate people on how to live sustainably and reduce the impacts of climate change.
We have created a plastic alternative using textile waste which solves 2 environmental problems at once: we reduce the impact of clothing waste, and we reduce the usage of oil-based plastics.
Our first product line is eyewear, you can shop here to get your first pair of circular eyewear!
Sources:
https://www.environment.gov.au/protection/waste/publications/how-you-can-reduce-plastic-waste-fs