Bags full of finely cut plastic lie on the side of a provincial road just outside Adana in Turkey. Farmer Izzettin Akman sees it being dumped there regularly, often at night. He cut open bags to see what’s inside.

This is not Turkish garbage. Akman finds remains visible from other countries. Packing parts with texts in other languages. It mainly comes from England, Germany, France and the Netherlands. “European waste,” says the farmer as he rummages through the pile of plastic with a stick. “It pollutes our farmland, it endangers our health. Why don’t they keep their garbage there?”

Correspondent Mitra Nazar finds plastic from Hengelo in this illegal dump:

European countries produce more plastic waste than they can handle themselves. That is why millions of kilos of plastic are exported abroad. For years, most of the garbage went to China, but that country banned it in 2018. Turkey then became an important new destination for European countries.

In Turkey, recycling companies buy bales of European plastic. They melt it down and make “pellets,” little plastic balls. These are then used to make new products.

But much of the plastic waste exported turns out to be unclean and unsuitable for recycling upon arrival in Turkey, says researcher Sedat Gundogdu. “Recycling plastic is and will remain an illusion. In reality, only about 3 percent of all plastic is truly recyclable.”

In 2019, Gundogdu first found dumped foreign waste in fields around Adana. As a marine biologist at Adana University, he studied why the sea coasts at Mersin and Adana were so polluted. He began mapping where garbage is dumped and where it comes from. “It enters the sea via the rivers. Our coastline is the most polluted in the entire Mediterranean.” He found foreign garbage in dozens of different places in and around the city.

dishwasher salt

In spring 2021, the Turkish government issued an import ban on most plastic waste. The ban was lifted eight days later, presumably under pressure from the recycling industry. Instead of a ban, stricter import regulations were introduced, but trade in plastic waste was allowed to continue. According to the Turkish Environment Minister, waste is no longer dumped and incinerated. He accuses activists and the media of using old photos and videos and even posted photos of cleared fields.

Visiting Adana, we find smoldering plastic on roadsides, along provincial roads and rivers, and in fields outside the city. Local residents say that new rubbish is still being dumped on a regular basis. In the Karahan district we find countless packaging waste from European countries.

A bag of dishwashing salt from the Dutch brand Broxomatic lies next to a Haribo package with the ingredients in Dutch. Leftovers from a pack of Jacobs coffee have German text. There is also waste from New Zealand, the United States and Israel.

The rules for the export of plastic waste have also been tightened in the European Union. The imports of unsuitable plastic were not reduced as a result. Much more plastic went to Turkey last year than in previous years.

In 2021, the EU exported 33 million tons of plastic waste to non-EU countries, 77 percent more than in 2004. Half of that went to Turkey. Germany is the largest waste exporter, followed by the Netherlands. Recent figures even show a significant growth in Dutch waste exports for this year. The Netherlands sends most of its plastic to Indonesia and Vietnam, followed by Turkey, at about 8.3 million kilos a month this year.

Abuses also occur in factories where plastic is sorted and melted down. Human Rights Watch recently conducted an investigation. Workers and local residents are exposed to toxic substances released when plastic melts. Many workers are Syrian and Afghan refugees, some minors.

Toxic clouds of smoke

In Adana, hundreds of recycling companies are located amidst residential areas. Fires regularly break out, leaving clouds of toxic smoke over the neighborhood. There is a climate of fear. Employees and local residents hardly dare to talk to journalists and researchers about their working and living conditions.

According to Human Rights Watch, the Turkish government should take stricter action. The report also indicates the countries from which the waste originates. “Europe’s richest countries ship their plastic waste to Turkey, where it poses major risks to the most vulnerable groups, including children and refugees, and leads to serious health problems and environmental damage.” The researchers conclude: “EU countries should take responsibility take over for their own plastic waste and stop exporting it to Turkey.”

Sedat Gundogdu agrees. He even speaks of waste colonialism. “This is environmental injustice. In the Netherlands you will not find plastic waste in meadows. But here with us you can see the dark side.” He says that waste management cannot be brought under control. Interpol has been investigating illegal practices in the international waste trade for years. “The only solution is a ban like China has introduced.”

Farmer Izzettin Akman looks horrified at the sacks of shredded plastic that are already mixing with soil by the roadside. There are only a few people who dare to speak openly about the waste problem, but he is not afraid, he says. “I want to leave my children a clean world.”