Plastic Production

Turkey recycles 1.1 million tonnes of scrap plastic annually, thus preventing the import of plastic raw materials worth more than 1 billion dollars.

According to the statistics of the Recycling and Recovery Association (GEKADER), the increasing sensitivity towards recycling in Turkey in recent years has come to the agenda again with the approval of the Paris Climate Agreement.
Recycling has a special place among the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement, which concerns all sectors from energy to transportation, urbanisation to industry and changes the way of doing business.

Following the Zero Waste Project launched in Turkey, the recovery rate increased from 13 per cent to 22.4 per cent. This figure is expected to accelerate after the Paris Climate Agreement. Especially with the increase in sensitivity in plastic recycling, it is aimed to have the highest recycling rate in this field.

With the Paris Climate Agreement, Turkey aims to reach net zero emissions in 2053. It is stated that the conversion of plastic wastes and the use of products made from recycled raw materials by companies will contribute to this goal.

In this context, the amount of plastic waste that Turkey currently recycles annually reaches 1.1 million tons.
There are 1,300 enterprises operating in the sector, which has a turnover of 1 billion dollars and employs 350 thousand people. With its recycling, the sector prevents more than 1 billion dollars of imports annually.

There is an incredible demand for recycled plastic raw material

Fatih Eren, President of the Recycling and Recovery Association, said that recycled plastic is used in almost every sector from automotive to white goods, from packaging to agriculture, from electrical-electronics to textiles and construction, and that it has become a part of life even though people do not realise this in daily life.

Stating that the issue of recycling has become very important, Eren said that large companies have started to tell their suppliers to "use recycled raw materials".

Stating that even major textile players have started to use recycled polyester in their products, Eren said, "Currently, there is so much need for plastic raw materials obtained from recycled products that the sector has become unable to meet it. We think that the use of recycled plastic will continue to increase, especially on the polyester and pet side, in accordance with company policies."

Exports of converted plastic products reached 1.2 billion dollars"
Eren, President of GEKADAR, stated that the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change obtains a letter of guarantee from companies importing waste, and that serious penalties are imposed if there is abuse in this regard, and that licensed and certified companies can import.

Stating that the import of plastic scrap is not as high as exaggerated, the figures have increased very little in the last 3 years and reached 127.7 million dollars in 2020, Eren said, however, exports of recycled plastic products increased by 57 percent to 1.21 billion dollars.

Eren noted that all developed and developing countries have started to focus on this issue and said, "Believe me, after a while, we will not be able to import plastic scrap even if we want to. Because no one will sell this waste to anyone, everyone will want to buy from each other. Because the whole world is going that way."

Stating that scrap plastic raw material is transformed into various products and offered for use in Turkey with 3.5 times added value, Eren also stated that it is exported all over the world.

"We aim to reduce foreign dependency in plastic raw material imports"

GEKADER President Eren stated that the understanding of recycling in Turkey is not at the desired level, that much work needs to be done on this issue both by the ministry and municipalities, and that the contribution of recycling to the economy will be "incredible" if the desired progress is achieved.

Stating that there should be a collection-separation option next to every garbage bin and a point where packaging can be thrown, Eren said that despite this, the loss in plastic recycling is not as much as in other sectors.

Eren noted that Turkey is 80 percent dependent on imports in the plastic raw material sector, where Turkey has a serious current account deficit, and gave the following information:

"The plastic recycling sector offers the potential to reduce the current account deficit of plastic raw materials by 36 percent by 2030. In 2050, the global market size of the plastics recycling sector is expected to be 900 billion dollars at current prices. If Turkey maintains its current growth, it will have a sector worth 3.2 billion dollars in 2025 and 63 billion dollars in 2050. Our employment-friendly sector already provides jobs for more than 1 million people, including street collectors and factories."