But since China’s 2018 ban on plastic waste imports, Turkey has become the primary destination for plastic waste from the EU and UK. There is no suggestion that, by shipping plastic waste to Turkey, the British companies are doing anything illegal. The Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects estimates that unrecyclable material makes up almost 50% of the country’s plastic waste imports from the EU. The UK government should ban the export of unprocessed plastic waste, reform the current system that incentivises exporting plastic waste rather than recycling it domestically and support domestic recycling, he added. Vanden undertook assessments, they said, including visits and inspections of Turkish recycling facilities via representatives in the country.