At first glance, the canal near which Ibrahim Yildiz grazes his sheep in the southern Adana province appears idyllic, framed by rows of clementine trees — until the mountains of plastic shavings come into view.”It’s been like this for a decade. Around here, we call it the ‘canal of filth’. My animals no longer produce milk,” sighed the 65-year-old shepherd. As the leading destination for plastic waste from the European Union, with 510,000 tonnes imported in 2025, alongside another 140,000 tonnes from Britain, Turkey has become “Europe’s dumping ground,” environmental campaigners say as the UN COP31 climate conference starts in Antalya.
Valued at 94 million euros ($105 million) in 2025 by the European Commission, this trade is polluting both the Mediterranean and the Turkish agricultural landscape — largely through non-recyclable plastics. Abandoned in nature or burnt in the open air, the waste is transformed into mountains of filthy plastic shavings. Poorly shredded, the remains often reveal their origins: a plastic pack of French ham, an empty crisp bag from Austria, a used sachet of tomato sauce from Britain.
Nearly 60 percent of this waste is transported to Adana, where around 170 recycling companies are located in the heart of this fertile farmland that produces more a third of Turkey’s citrus fruits.- ‘We do not import waste’ – According to marine biologist Sedat Gundogdu of the Microplastics Research Group (GRM), the particles are carried by rivers and floods from Adana to the Mediterranean, where they could be seen building up along the Turkish coast this summer. “We measured microplastic concentrations in the Mediterranean up to 65 times higher than levels previously seen.
Up to 93 percent come from waste shredded at recycling centres,” he told AFP. “It’s an ecological disaster because it’s permanent. Once it reaches the sea, the entire Mediterranean is polluted.”But Environment Minister Murat Kurum denied rubbish was being imported, instead saying what did come in was recyclable matter in a form that could be used as raw material. “We absolutely do not allow waste imports. What does come in?
Ground granule material which is used as raw material in production,” he told journalists on October 23. Where illegal waste imports had been identified in Adana, “we have closed down the businesses we identified and we have imposed penalties,” he said. But Gundogdu said fines and inspections were not enough. “We need to end the waste trade once and for all, it’s a new form of colonialism,” he said. “Only nine percent of plastics are recyclable.
Trying to recycle a material designed to be thrown away is expensive. That’s why Europe sends them to other countries. In this case, recycling is an illusion.” – ‘Europe’s waste is poisoning us’ – In Kucukdikili, a deprived suburb of Adana, residents say enough is enough, accusing the recycling firms of routinely burning waste in the open air which they portray as the result of accidental fires. Nearly 200 fires are recorded every year at recycling plants across Turkey, a GRM count shows. “Adana is not Europe’s dumping ground!” protesters chanted at a demonstration in August.
Murat Esin, who lives next to a recycling site, has taken his complaints to the highest level of the Turkish government, but says nothing has been done. “We can’t breathe because of the smell and the ash that covers everything. Cancer cases are multiplying here, but nobody listens to us,” he told AFP. Environmental activist Yasar Gokoglu says burning the waste is the cheapest way of getting rid of it.”Incineration is the only way for these companies to get rid of non-recyclable waste for free.
Europeans might be easing their consciences by sorting their waste. But they need to know their waste ends up poisoning us.”At COP31, First Lady Emine Erdogan’s “Zero Waste” campaign will be a key element of Turkey’s agenda, the environment ministry says.”Plastic waste imported for recycling must be processed without harming the environment, and waste management systems must be effectively monitored and traceable,” Samed Agirbas, president of the Zero Waste Foundation, told AFP.
Yet an EU ban on exporting plastic waste to non-OECD countries, which comes into force on November 21, looks set to further increase the waste sent to member country Turkey. “COP31 offers an opportunity,” Gundogdu said. “A call to end the waste trade would put Turkey in a leadership position. The goal of zero waste can only be achieved by ending these imports.” bg/dla/fo/hmw/yad
Tue, 10 Nov 2026 06:26:50 GMT