Turkey plastic waste imports pollute Adana, activists say

Turkey imported 510,000 tonnes of plastic waste from the European Union in 2025 and 140,000 tonnes from Britain, while environmental campaigners say the trade is polluting southern Adana province and the Mediterranean.

Nearly 60 percent of the imported waste is transported to Adana, where around 170 recycling companies operate in farmland that produces more than a third of Turkey's citrus fruits.

Sedat Gundogdu, a marine biologist with the Microplastics Research Group, said particles are carried by rivers and floods from Adana to the Mediterranean. He told AFP that microplastic concentrations measured in the Mediterranean were up to 65 times higher than levels previously seen, and that up to 93 percent came from waste shredded at recycling centres.

Environment Minister Murat Kurum denied that Turkey imports rubbish. He told journalists on October 23 that Turkey allows ground granule material used as raw material in production, not waste. He said authorities closed businesses and imposed penalties where illegal waste imports were identified in Adana.

Residents and activists in Kucukdikili, a deprived suburb of Adana, accuse recycling firms of burning waste in the open air. Murat Esin, who lives next to a recycling site, said residents struggle with smell and ash and that cancer cases are increasing. Environmental activist Yasar Gokoglu said burning is the cheapest way for companies to dispose of non-recyclable waste.

The issue comes as the COP31 climate conference begins in Antalya. The environment ministry said First Lady Emine Erdogan's Zero Waste campaign will be part of Turkey's agenda.