What happens to the 241 trucks of waste that come to Turkey from Europe every day?

13.7 million tons of waste comes to Turkey from Europe annually, 241 trucks per day. A member of Greenpeace has  explained why Turkey receives this waste and what happens after it arrives in Turkey.

According to Eurostat data, waste exports from EU countries have increased by 75 percent since 2004. 13.7 million tons of waste exports, which amount to 32.7 million tons per year, go to Turkey. Waste importation from Europe to Turkey has increased by about 3 times in the last 20 years. More than half of the waste sent from Europe consists of metal waste such as iron and steel. Of the 17.5 million tons of metal waste exported from EU countries annually, Turkey receives about 12 million.

Speaking to the media another Greenpeace member shared following:

ADANA HAS BECOME THE CENTER

“Most of the imported garbage is plastic waste. Waste imports are carried out according to certain codes. 1 out of every 4 plastics exported by the whole of Europe is bought by Turkey, this is a very serious rate. In fact, this export is carried out by countries with a very high percentage of recycling. In the top 5 are Great Britain, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Slovenia. The garbage of Great Britain and Germany, labeled as recyclable, is either disposed of anywhere on our territory, or it is burned illegally. Waste can be seen even on the roadside. Many news channels from abroad have made news in Adana that offer a trace of this garbage. But we think that the issue is not just about Adana. It can happen in other cities, wherever there is little supervision and transparency.”