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(Istanbul) – Plastic recycling in Turkey harms the health of many people and degrades the environment for everyone, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
The 88-page report “‘They’re poisoning us’: health risks of plastic recycling in Turkey” recorded the consequences Turkish An ineffective government response to the health and environmental impacts of plastic recycling on the right to health. Air pollution and toxins from recycling harm workers and people living near recycling sites, including children.
The government failed to enforce laws and regulations that required strict approval. Plastic waste imported from the EU is contributing significantly to these attacks.
“Turkey has regulations to protect people and the environment, but the lack of enforcement is increasing people’s risk of serious and lifelong health problems,” he said. Krista Shenum, Gruber Fellow in Human Rights Watch’s Environment and Human Rights Division. “The Turkish government must do more to protect people from the dangers of toxic plastic recycling.”
Human Rights Watch spoke to 64 people, including 26 who currently recycle plastic in Istanbul and Adana, and 21 who live near plastic recycling facilities. At the time of the interview, five of the workers were children and four of the adults interviewed started working in a plastic recycling facility as children.
Workers and residents of neighboring communities have reported respiratory problems, severe headaches, skin diseases, lack of protective equipment and lack of access to treatment for occupational diseases. Many of the facilities Human Rights Watch visited are located dangerously close to homes, in violation of Turkish laws and environmental regulations.
To be recycled, plastic waste is cut, washed, melted at high temperature and then turned into pellets. This Process It produces air pollution and Poisons Without adequate protection, it can contribute to short-term health problems, including Asthma, Difficulty breathingAnd Eye irritation. Scientists have also linked exposure to these toxins to an increased risk of developing the disease. Cancer, Neurological effectsAnd Damage to the reproductive system. In addition, plastics are made from fossil fuels and toxic additives, as well as releasing large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to the climate crisis.
Since Chinese In the year In 2018, the government banned the importation of plastic waste, leaving many countries in the Global North struggling to find new destinations for their plastic waste. Due to its geographical proximity, strong trade relations with the European Union and its status as a member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Turkey has become the leading destination for EU plastic waste, receiving almost half of its plastic waste exports by 2020. 2021.
Many resettlement facility workers come from the most vulnerable populations in Turkey, including children, refugees, and undocumented migrants. He said some workers, including undocumented immigrants, do not receive medical care if they get sick or injured on the job. Fear of losing workers has made them wary of raising concerns with their employers about harmful working conditions, including working without access to personal protective equipment.
Human Rights Watch in Turkey works with children in plastic recycling facilities, although Turkish law prohibits them from working in such dangerous conditions, and exposure to pollution and toxins is particularly damaging to their health.
“There’s a big bowl where you cook the material, adding water that comes in as steam,” said the 20-year-old, who worked as a plastic recycler as a child. “When I breathe in that, my lungs feel compressed and stressed…I stopped working there two months ago, but I still have trouble breathing.”
Residents of neighboring communities suffer from strong odors and pollution during plastic recycling, preventing them from sleeping, opening their windows and spending time outdoors.
“My 27-year-old sister died of colon cancer, 10 years ago,” said a 35-year-old man whose family has lived near recycling sites for decades. He believes that living in a recycling area is responsible for the deaths of four relatives. “My brother died of lung cancer four years ago at 34. I believe it is the result of recycling plants.
Human Rights Watch found that workers and nearby residents are not given basic information about toxic levels in their environment, risks of toxic exposure, or the law that requires Turkish authorities and employers to monitor conditions and share this information. .
Although it is mandatory for facilities to recycle plastic to obtain permits and licenses from the relevant authorities, it is not known exactly how many comply with this requirement and how many operate without permits. Permits require compliance with environmental and occupational health standards that limit health risks. For licensed facilities, environmental, occupational health, and labor inspections often fail to adequately examine environmental and health conditions.
Human Rights Watch has written to key ministries and municipalities in Turkey to share initial research findings and request information on plastic recycling facilities, air quality data, inspection reports, disease rates related to toxic exposure, data on plastic waste imports, and child labor. . In some cases, Human Rights Watch did not receive a response. In other cases, the responses received were incomplete and did not answer the questions posted. For example, the Ministry of Environment, Urban and Climate Change has revealed that since 2018, it has conducted thousands of waste disposal and recycling inspections and fined and shut down facilities without permits. However, the ministry did not provide specific information on plastic recycling sites, and the findings of the Human Rights Watch report indicate that more decisive action is needed to address health rights violations.
Turkey’s Ministry of Environment, Urban and Climate Change should conduct independent and thorough inspections of recycling facilities to ensure compliance with environmental regulations and to make information on air pollution and toxic exposure risks easily accessible and accessible, Human Rights Watch said. The Ministry of Labor and Social Security should implement Turkey’s ban on child labor, including plastic recycling in hazardous workplaces.
Countries that export plastic waste, including those in the EU, should take steps to better manage their waste domestically, rather than shipping it to countries with weak or non-enforcing government environmental and labor regulations. The Turkish government introduced it in July 2021 but must quickly lift and reinstate a ban on the recycling of plastic waste imported into the country.
“Europe’s richest countries are sending their waste to Turkey, exposing some of Turkey’s most vulnerable communities, children, refugees and migrants to serious environmental and health risks,” said Shenum. “The European Union and individual plastic exporting countries must take responsibility for their own plastic waste, stop the export of plastic products to Turkey and reduce the amount of plastic they produce and consume.”
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