Overview
- The European Commission audit raised serious concerns that Turkish enforcement cannot guarantee exported EU plastic will not harm the environment, prompting the EU to seek improvements and plan a follow-up review by the end of 2028.
- Turkey’s Environment Ministry said it inspected 170 recycling and waste‑import sites in Adana, closed 12 for breaches of environmental rules and imposed about €500,000 in fines in response to the audit.
- Researchers at Çukurova University measured extreme microplastic contamination downstream of recycling plants, with levels up to 132 times higher than upstream samples, and local groups report repeated fires and burning landfills.
- Health and local officials warn of rising respiratory problems and possible long‑term cancer risks in Adana, while activists call for an immediate halt to imports and industry representatives stress jobs and feedstock demand for petrochemical firms.
- The flow of EU plastic to Turkey rose after China’s 2017 import ban and now totals roughly half a million tonnes a year, mainly from Germany and Belgium, making waste trade, enforcement and politics a focus at the UN climate talks in Antalya.