Middle East Eye | 04/30/2025
From waste colonialism to crackdowns, the plastic recycling boom is busting and Turkey feels the heat
As more countries and companies ban single-use plastics, recycled plastic manufacturing has shifted from Europe to lower-cost countries like Turkey.
However, this $33bn global industry sets high quality standards that favour large manufacturers. Turkey’s pivot to exporting secondary plastics has been disrupting its recycling ecosystem.
“We have a waste war here,” said Cesur Caca, communications director of Pagev, Turkey’s major plastics industrialists’ group. “It’s as valuable as oil – or even more,” he said, noting the added “prestige” of helping combat climate change.
Pagev’s recycling arm, Pagcev, and other large producers aim to make Istanbul “a global hub for recycling”. While their main competitors are high-tech recyclers in Europe, Europe is also their biggest customer.
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Naomi Cohen | journalist 