Turkey faces scrutiny over methane emissions and plastic waste imports

Turkey is facing significant international scrutiny regarding its management of plastic waste and methane emissions from landfills. Reports indicate that the country receives hundreds of thousands of tons of plastic waste from the European Union and the United Kingdom, leading to allegations of “waste colonialism” by some media outlets.

An EU document noted that only 10 percent of plastic waste in Turkey is recycled, with the remainder being landfilled or mismanaged. Consequently, European Commission officials have suggested that plastic waste exports to Turkey could be suspended if the country fails to address its pollution and environmental issues.

Satellite data analyzed by researchers from Carbon Mapper and UCLA has identified substantial methane leaks from Turkish landfills. Specifically, the Seymen landfill near Istanbul was found to release an average of 7.4 tons of methane per hour. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, with a warming effect 80 times stronger than carbon dioxide during its first 20 years in the atmosphere.

The Turkish Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change responded to the satellite findings by stating that such data does not constitute continuous measurement and is insufficient to determine annual emission totals. The Ministry also highlighted that recycling rates under its Zero Waste program have increased from 13 percent in 2017 to over 37 percent.