Turkey's Mediterranean coast swamped by plastic waste from European imports ahead of COP31

Fishermen along the Turkish Mediterranean, including Ahmet Takar, have observed a rise in tiny plastic shards on beaches like Adanalioğlu, attributing the pollution to nearby recycling plants in Adana that process both domestic and European plastic scrap. Small particles escape into surrounding soils and irrigation canals that feed the Seyhan River, which discharges into the sea and allows currents to disperse the debris along the coastline.

Turkey imported nearly 650,000 tons of plastic waste last year, a figure that has grown since China stopped accepting foreign scrap in 2018. With the EU set to ban plastic waste exports to countries outside the OECD, Turkey—an OECD member—may see even more waste arrive. At the forthcoming COP31 in Antalya, Turkish officials will advocate for a pledge to cut the global waste-growth rate by half by 2035, while also promoting a Zero Waste programme that seeks higher recycling rates and job creation in the sector. Scientists warn that micro-plastic concentrations downstream of the plants are dozens of times higher than upstream, highlighting the environmental risks of current recycling practices.