EU Commission does not halt plastic waste shipments to Türkiye; situation to be reassessed before 2028

According to Karar newspaper, citing POLITICO, the European Commission has decided not to halt plastic waste shipments from the EU to Türkiye despite concerns about how Türkiye handles plastic waste. The Commission will keep monitoring Türkiye and will reassess its plastic waste management before 2028.

The concerns raised in the assessment, as reported: a lack of information on how Türkiye processes EU waste, uncertainty over the enforcement and oversight of environmental law, and limited stakeholder involvement in decision-making. Some stakeholders claim that only about 10% of Türkiye's plastic waste is recycled and that the rest goes to landfill or is improperly processed; the report presents this as stakeholder opinion. The Commission says Türkiye has strengthened its waste legislation and that it is broadly aligned with international and EU rules, although some gaps remain.

Figures: about 510,000 tonnes of plastic waste went from the EU to Türkiye last year, which POLITICO equates to roughly 25 billion 500 ml plastic bottles. Türkiye received about 70% of the EU's plastic waste exports to OECD countries.

EU rules: from 21 May 2026, exports of plastic waste outside the EU require prior notification and consent. From 21 May 2027, facilities receiving the waste must show through independent audits that they operate in an environmentally sound way. The ban on plastic waste exports to non-OECD countries starting on 21 November 2026 does not cover Türkiye because it is an OECD member. The Commission may suspend shipments to OECD countries if it sees environmental risk.

What does this mean for a molder?

The decision means that domestic recyclers keep access to imported waste for now, but from 2027 receiving facilities will have to produce independent audit proof. For molders that buy recycled pellets, the consequence may be more documentation and traceability requests towards suppliers. For legal and commercial details, rely on the Ministry of Trade and EU announcements.