Türkiye is the “dumping ground” of the European Union

Türkiye is the main destination for waste in the European Union, according to data released by Eurostat.

According to Eurostat, in 2022, the European Union exported 32 million tons of waste to third countries, with Turkey in the lead. This represents a slight decrease of 3% compared to 2021.

The first destination for waste exported in 2022 from the European Union was Turkey, with a volume of 12.4 million tons, representing 39% of total waste exports. India was the second largest destination for waste in the EU, at 3.5 million tonnes, followed by the UK (2 million tonnes), Switzerland (1.6 million), Norway (1.6 million), Egypt (1.6 million), Pakistan (1.2 million) and Indonesia. . (1.1 million), Morocco and the United States (both 0.8 million tons).

Eurostat figures show that ferrous metal waste accounts for half of all EU waste exports

In 2022, the EU exported 17.8 million tons of waste ferrous metals (iron and steel), accounting for 55% of the EU's total waste exports. The main destination was Turkey, which received 10.7 million tons, nearly two-thirds (60%) of total waste exports. Scrap iron exported from the European Union.

Large quantities of waste paper were also exported, amounting to 4.9 million tons or 15% of EU waste exports in 2022. The main destination was India (30% of total waste paper exports).

On the import side, the EU received from third countries 18.7 million tons of waste in 2022 (down 5% compared to 2021). Specifically, the EU received 4.2 million tons of ferrous metals (22% of total waste imports) and 2.4 million tons of paper (13% of total waste imports). The largest quantities of this waste came from the United Kingdom at 1.3 tons, or 33% of the total ferrous metal waste, and 1.2 tons, or 49%, of the total waste paper imports.