Turkey is reportedly looking at a compromise solution so that some plastics may be allowed for import again following its recent ban.
The country’s Environment Department recently banned import of PE-based plastics, with this due to come into force from 2 July 2021.
However, Turkish newspaper Dunya is reporting that the country’s Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Industry and Technology have got involved and are studying ways to find a compromise to allow some imports to resume.
This study would look at options such as certifying import companies as well as only permitting imports through certain routes to allow for inspections. They will also look at continuing a quota system where domestic waste processing is prioritised.
The newspaper quoted Plastic Industrialists’ Association president Selçuk Gülsün who said: “We have implemented the project without any impact analysis and without exchanging ideas with industry representatives.
“It should be realised as soon as possible that the import ban of polyethylene scrap has put our country’s plastics industry into a dead end, and the ban should be lifted.”
