A Guardian investigation reports that large quantities of UK plastic waste have been exported to recycling sites in poorer districts of Adana, southern Turkey, prompting residents and farmers to raise concerns about pollution and health risks. The issue matters because it highlights how Britain’s plastic-waste exports can shift environmental burdens to communities abroad, despite UK commitments to reduce plastic pollution and promote a circular economy.

Between May 2021 and July 2024, 13 British companies sent 545 shipments, totalling 52,000 tonnes of household and supermarket plastic waste, to the Kemal Deniz recycling zone near farmland in Adana. Researchers found plastic debris and high levels of microplastics in a nearby irrigation canal, while a Turkish marine biologist warned that wastewater from recycling facilities could contaminate agriculture and food; the article says there is no suggestion the UK exporters acted illegally.