Many plastic products are designed to be used once, difficult to recycle, and remain in the environment for decades or centuries. The plastics industry has championed recycling as a way to manage waste from their products, while making few efforts to minimize the amount of plastic in their products or design products that can easily be recycled. This exposure to air pollution puts workers and residents at the risk of developing significant life-long health conditions, including cancer and reproductive system harms.
Human Rights Watch research found that plastic recycling facility workers and nearby residents can be exposed to harmful chemicals when they inhale toxic dust or fumes emitted during the recycling process, which threatens their right to health. The recent influx of EU plastic waste imports contributed to the growth of the plastic recycling sector in Turkey. In 2020, Turkey was the single largest recipient of EU plastic, importing nearly 450,000 tonnes. Turkey’s geographic proximity to and strong trade relations with the European Union (EU), and its status as an OECD member have made it a key destination for EU plastic waste exports since the Chinese government ban. But in 2018, the Chinese government banned plastic waste imports, leaving exporting countries scrambling to find new destinations for their waste. For decades, many countries in the Global North exported their plastic waste to China for recycling. This report documents the health impacts of plastic recycling on facility workers and residents living near facilities in Adana and Istanbul, Turkey, a major destination for the European Union’s plastic waste. Plastic recycling releases those toxins into the local environment, threatening the health of those working in the industry and living nearby recycling facilities. Plastic products contain toxic chemical additives that can cause serious health problems.
While often touted as a positive, environmentally friendly practice, plastic recycling can pose significant threats to human rights and the environment. “There’s a strong smell of gas,” he explained.Īli’s story is not unique. Five years ago, Ali quit his job because he had trouble breathing that he thought was linked to air pollution in the recycling facility.
He worked 13 hours per day in a recycling facility sorting, shredding, and melting plastic into small pellets. “Ali,” a man in his mid-20's, started working in plastic recycling in Adana, a city in the south of Turkey, when he was 13 years old.
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