EU warns Turkey to clean up waste treatment or face trade ban

BRUSSELS — The European Commission will consider banning the export of plastic waste to Turkey if the country fails to address pollution and environmental concerns, a Commission official told POLITICO.

The warning comes after a Commission assessment found evidence of environmental damage linked to Turkey’s treatment of plastic waste that could breach EU rules.

“If there is no adequate answer or measure taken by the authorities, the Commission might launch the procedure to suspend the export of plastic waste to Türkiye,” the Commission official said. The assessment itself recommended continuing shipments to Turkey despite the findings.

While a suspension would be in line with EU rules on the shipment of waste, it would also jeopardize the bloc’s most important market for trash. Last year, Turkey received a third of the EU’s exported plastic waste.

The Commission assessment, dated Sept. 1 and obtained by POLITICO, reported a long list of concerns over Turkey’s treatment of EU waste, including the fact that only around 10% of plastic waste is recycled in the country, while the majority goes to landfills, is mismanaged or leaks into the environment.

The Commission official said the report pointed to “several instances” of plastic waste mismanagement, generating “serious pollution problems.”

Despite evidence of practices that could breach EU rules, the report said the Commission would hold off on suspending exports and instead engage with the Turkish authorities on these concerns.

The bloc’s Waste Shipment Regulation — which restricts exports of certain types of EU waste to third countries to curb pollution — says the EU can stop the export of waste to OECD countries that fail to show the waste is managed in an “environmentally sound manner.”

The law specifically requires the Commission to assess whether OECD countries importing large volumes of plastic waste are managing it without causing significant environmental or health damage.

The assessment focused on Turkey because it’s the biggest importer of European waste by far. Last year the country imported 510,000 tonnes of EU plastic waste, the equivalent of about 25 billion 500ml soft drink bottles. This represented 70% of plastic waste exported to OECD countries and 36% of all exported plastic waste.

Under the rules, exports of plastic waste to non-OECD countries will generally be banned from Nov. 21.

That might reroute plastic waste to OECD countries like Turkey, the Commission official said, so it’s important to understand the situation and “strengthen” cooperation with the country to prevent problems arising from this.

Non-OECD countries that show they can manage waste in a sustainable manner can request to be exempted under the law to continue receiving waste.

The list of countries seeking an exemption is expected to be published in the coming days. The Commission is required to adopt the list by November.