The UK-based newspaper The Guardian’s news article titled “Türkiye said it would become a ‘zero waste’ nation. Instead, it became a dumping ground for Europe’s rubbish” was found to contain manipulation meant to manipulate public opinion.
It was claimed that, following the “Zero Waste” initiative, Türkiye excessively imported plastic waste from abroad, leading to a significant environmental crisis, as most imported plastic materials were non-recyclable and recycling efforts were not under control.
Türkiye’s legislation on recyclable waste and the achievements of the Zero Waste Movement, including international awards, expose the deliberate manipulation and propaganda in the aforementioned news article.
The news article alleged that the fertile land in Adana was turned into a garbage heap and that plastic waste was being incinerated in a way that was not suited for recycling.
Türkiye permits the import of plastic waste solely if it is clean and recyclable. The import of mixed waste is not allowed. The recyclable waste that is to be imported must contain no more than one per cent foreign material. In light of these obligations, customs and facilities implement rigorous inspections. Therefore, waste deemed unsuitable for import is returned to the respective country following examinations and inspections. Imported waste is monitored by a mobile transportation system called MoTAT (Mobile Hazardous Waste Transportation) from customs to the facility. Every stage of waste management is closely and meticulously overseen.
Between January 2021 and February 2025, 29,126 inspections for ‘Waste Disposal and Recycling Facilities’ were conducted, resulting in fines amounting to more than 913 million TL in 1,898 administrative sanctions and the suspension of 227 facilities.
The news article also referred to unsubstantiated claims that “hazardous wastes brought from the UK appeared in a region of Adana without a recycling facility,” which had been on the agenda in the past years.
The Environmental Law prohibits the importation of “hazardous, non-recoverable, and disposal” wastes. Seven inspection teams conducted a survey of the entire area in response to the allegations, and no dumping was found. Soil samples were collected from the alleged 11 points, and no parameters that could endanger the environment or human health were identified in the analyses.
In addition, contrary to the claims made in the news article, it is forbidden to dump not only waste imported for recycling but also waste collected in the domestic market and incinerate it using an environmentally harmful method. The remaining recycling waste is sent to another recycling facility for recovery or to a licensed disposal site.
Along with the allegations, First Lady Emine Erdoğan and the Zero Waste Movement were also mentioned, and the project was targeted in an unrelated context. The Zero Waste Movement, launched in 2017 under the auspices of First Lady Emine Erdoğan, spouse of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and coordinated by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation, and Climate Change, received the “Zero Waste, Zero Hunger” award from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) in 2018. The project, which was awarded the “UNDP Sustainable Development Goals Award” by the United Nations Development Programme and the “Waste Wise Cities Global Champion Award” by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) in 2021, also received the “Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean Award (PAW Awards)” and the “Climate and Development Leadership Award” presented by the World Bank in 2022.
September 2024 data indicates that 59.9 million tonnes of recyclable waste were recycled into the economy as part of the Zero Waste Movement, including 29.3 million tonnes of paper-cardboard, 7.8 million tonnes of plastic, 2.9 million tonnes of glass, 3.7 million tonnes of metal, and 16.2 million tonnes of organic and other recyclable wastes. Through the project’s implementation, 498 million trees, 819 million cubic meters of water, and 127 million barrels of oil were conserved, and 5.9 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions were prevented. Additionally, recycling contributed to the return of 185 billion Turkish liras to the economy, as well as the preservation of 104 million cubic meters of storage space and the reduction of 2.6 billion kilowatt-hours of energy.
Targeting such a beneficial project under the guise of “environmental sensitivity” indicates a deliberate manipulation and propaganda campaign.
Republic of Türkiye Directorate of Communications
Center for Countering Disinformation
