Popular travel destination for Germans - and at the same time buyers of 108,000 tons of German plastic waste

Created: 09/21/2022, 21:14

By: Yasina Hipp

Germany alone exports over 100,000 tons of plastic waste to Turkey.

© IMAGO/Zakariya Yahya

Germany simply shifts the problem of waste disposal and recycling to other countries.

Human Rights Watch shows the consequences using the example of Turkey.

Istanbul - Many associate Turkey with blue seas, beautiful resorts and relaxing summer vacations.

And indeed, according to the consumer study VuMA Touchpoints 2022, the country on the Adriatic is one of the most popular travel destinations for Germans.

In addition to the historical buildings, such as the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, the country also attracts beach holidaymakers.

Only the North and Baltic Sea coasts, the Balearic Islands and Italy are even more popular than Turkey.

Holidaymakers from Germany probably don't notice the several hundred thousand tons of plastic waste during their trips to Turkey - although they are sometimes the cause of the waste.

Turkey: 30 percent of the imported waste comes from Germany

Turkey is currently the main recipient of plastic waste from the EU, according to Human Rights Watch's report It's As If They're Poisoning Us - The Health Impacts of Plastic Recycling in Turkey.

In 2020, the country imported as much as 450,000 tons of plastic waste from the EU.

Krista Shennum, environmental and human rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, reports that Germany is one of the largest exporters.

In 2020, 136,000 tons of waste came from Germany alone - that's a good 30 percent of the total amount.

Only exported from Germany.

In 2021, the number has dropped to 108,000 tons.

The reason for this, however, is not a declining amount of waste in Germany, but the fact that Turkey had declared a temporary import ban on certain types of plastic.

Human Rights Watch warns of dangers for Turkish population

The organisation's report, with the German title: "It's as if they were poisoning us", is not just about the sheer unbelievable numbers of exported or imported waste.

The focus is also on the health hazards and ecological effects for the people in Turkey and how the Turkish government is dealing with them.

The report tells the story of Ali, who worked at a recycling plant.

His everyday work consisted of sorting and crushing plastic so that it can be melted into small pellets.

It was not uncommon for him to work 13 hours or more.

Today, Ali has breathing problems, which he attributes to the air pollution at the facility.

According to the report, such health consequences are caused by the toxic chemical additives contained in the plastic.

During recycling, these escape into the air and "endanger the health of those employed in the industry and those living near recycling plants".

Human Rights Watch with clear demands for Turkey

Krista Shennum and her organization are not only calling on Turkish ministries and authorities for stricter controls and regulations.

It is also aimed at those who cause the waste: the EU and, above all, Germany.

Shennum says: "The EU and individual plastic-exporting countries should take responsibility for their own plastic waste, stop exporting plastic to Turkey and reduce the amount of plastic they produce and consume." Clear words that everyone before the next Turkey holiday should take to heart.