{"id":640964,"date":"2024-10-09T00:05:03","date_gmt":"2024-10-08T21:05:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/turkeys-plan-to-recycle-more-has-made-life-hard-for-its-informal-waste-pickers\/"},"modified":"2024-10-09T00:05:03","modified_gmt":"2024-10-08T21:05:03","slug":"turkeys-plan-to-recycle-more-has-made-life-hard-for-its-informal-waste-pickers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/turkeys-plan-to-recycle-more-has-made-life-hard-for-its-informal-waste-pickers\/","title":{"rendered":"#Turkey&#8217;s plan to recycle more has made life hard for its informal waste pickers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a407e68b6f77\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a407e68b6f77\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/turkeys-plan-to-recycle-more-has-made-life-hard-for-its-informal-waste-pickers\/#Importing_more_waste\" >Importing more waste<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2019\/waste.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2019\/waste.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Credit: CC0 Public Domain\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2019\/waste.jpg\" alt=\"waste\" title=\"Credit: CC0 Public Domain\" width=\"800\" height=\"523\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Credit: CC0 Public Domain<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Turkey&#8217;s 500,000 or so informal waste pickers <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.duvarenglish.com\/undervalued-and-unrecognized-turkish-waste-pickers-at-mercy-of-formal-recycling-sector-news-56700#google_vignette\">carry out around 80%<\/a> of the recycling in the country. These workers, who are also known as \u00e7ek\u00e7ek\u00e7i, are essential for separating out waste in a country where this is rarely done at source.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                                                    But their lives are <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.duvarenglish.com\/undervalued-and-unrecognized-turkish-waste-pickers-at-mercy-of-formal-recycling-sector-news-56700#google_vignette\">precarious<\/a>. Most of them are unregistered, lack <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> security, and have no access to basic services such as health care. And now they find themselves affected by efforts that formalize Turkey&#8217;s waste management system.<\/p>\n<p>Many of the workers are migrants. But <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ipa.istanbul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/ISTANBULUN-KATI-ATIK-TOPLAYICILARI.pdf#page=16.22\">large-scale immigration<\/a> over recent years, particularly from conflict zones such as Afghanistan and Syria, has contributed to a rise in <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gazeteduvar.com.tr\/ali-mendillioglu-depo-baskinlarinin-geri-donusum-sirketlerinin-kurulusuna-denk-gelmesi-manidar-makale-1538239\">nationalistic sentiment<\/a> throughout the country.<\/p>\n<p>This has seen immigrants\u2014and particularly waste pickers\u2014portrayed in a negative fashion. Waste pickers have, for instance, been <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gazeteduvar.com.tr\/ali-mendillioglu-depo-baskinlarinin-geri-donusum-sirketlerinin-kurulusuna-denk-gelmesi-manidar-makale-1538239\">labeled<\/a> &#8220;\u015fehir e\u015fk\u0131yas\u0131&#8221; (urban bandits) by the media. And many people have argued that Turkiye&#8217;s informal waste-picking practices should come to an end.<\/p>\n<p>Yavuz Ero\u011flu, the president of a non-profit organization called PAG\u00c7EV that promotes plastic recycling in Turkey, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pagcev.org\/haberler\/plastik-sektoru-geri-donusumde-kuresel-guc-olmayi-hedefliyor\">pointed out recently<\/a> that the country&#8217;s &#8220;real problem&#8221; is its informal waste collection system. In Ero\u011flu&#8217;s view, informal waste picking impedes the effective scaling of recycling initiatives and prevents Turkey from improving its position in the global recycling market.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                                                            Recycling facilities in Turkey require a steady and substantial supply of raw waste materials to function efficiently. But, according to the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/why-turkey-became-europes-garbage-dump\/\">Turkish Statistics Institution<\/a>, a mere 12% of the country&#8217;s municipal waste was recovered in 2018\u2014and it is not clear how much of this was actually recycled. This is not nearly enough to keep recycling companies afloat.<\/p>\n<p>So, in an effort to improve Turkey&#8217;s domestic waste management, the Turkish government <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/yesilgazete.org\/cekcekci-duzenlemesi-kayitli-olunan-ilce-disinda-atik-toplanamayacak-uygun-gorulenlere-izin-verilecek\/\">launched an initiative<\/a> in 2022 to regulate and formalize waste collection. The legislation requires that local authorities work exclusively with licensed recyclers and registered pickers to sort through and sell waste.<\/p>\n<p>Resistance movements have subsequently emerged within the \u00e7ek\u00e7ek\u00e7i community that advocate for the rights and recognition of informal waste pickers in Turkey. These movements have either reinforced the importance of existing waste picker collectives, or led to the creation of new non-profit organizations and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ilo.org\/publications\/waste-pickers-cooperatives-and-social-and-solidarity-economy-organizations\">cooperatives<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In Istanbul, for example, the \u015ei\u015fli municipality <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/geridonusumekonomisi.com.tr\/cekcekci-kooperatifi.html\">launched<\/a> an environmental waste collectors cooperative in 2023 in an attempt to formally integrate informal waste pickers into the municipal waste management system.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                                                            This has involved registering waste pickers, issuing official identification cards, and providing them with access to designated waste collection zones. Similar models have also <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cumhuriyet.com.tr\/haber\/tepebasi-beledeyesinden-bir-ilk-sokak-toplayicilari-kooperatiflesti-1747862\">emerged<\/a> in different parts of the country. But many of Turkey&#8217;s waste pickers <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ipa.istanbul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/ISTANBULUN-KATI-ATIK-TOPLAYICILARI.pdf\">remain locked out<\/a> of the new formal system.<\/p>\n<p>The framing of informality as the problem is not new, nor is it limited to representatives of Turkey&#8217;s plastic recycling industry. In August 2021, the governor of Istanbul&#8217;s office ordered a crackdown on informal waste collection activities.<\/p>\n<p>Police <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gazeteduvar.com.tr\/ali-mendillioglu-depo-baskinlarinin-geri-donusum-sirketlerinin-kurulusuna-denk-gelmesi-manidar-makale-1538239\">carried out raids<\/a> on nearly 100 waste collection depots and seized 650 collection carts. More than 200 people were detained in the raids, including 145 Afghan migrants who were sent to a deportation center.<\/p>\n<p>The governor&#8217;s office justified the action by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mepanews.com\/istanbul-kagit-toplayicilara-uygulanan-yasak-sonrasi-yuzlercesi-issiz-kaldi-46901h.htm\">citing<\/a> environmental and public health concerns, as well as the unregulated nature of employment in informal waste picking. In a statement, the office argued that unauthorized waste collection leads to unfair profits and announced that inspections would continue.<\/p>\n<p>Waste workers responded by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mepanews.com\/istanbul-kagit-toplayicilara-uygulanan-yasak-sonrasi-yuzlercesi-issiz-kaldi-46901h.htm\">criticizing<\/a> the governor&#8217;s claims and expressed frustration over being labeled as benefiting from unfair profits while living in <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.duvarenglish.com\/undervalued-and-unrecognized-turkish-waste-pickers-at-mercy-of-formal-recycling-sector-news-56700#google_vignette\">precarious conditions<\/a> without social security or a stable income.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Importing_more_waste\"><\/span>Importing more waste<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In fieldwork carried out between March and April 2024, I spoke with representatives of waste collectors, junk shop owners and waste traders in Istanbul.<\/p>\n<p>Some reported that there had been a decline in waste-picking rates since the crackdown of 2021. Waste collectors and their representatives expressed concerns that this decline could lead to a further reduction in domestic recycling rates and increase the reliance of recycling facilities on imported waste.<\/p>\n<p>Turkey is already one of the largest importers of waste from Europe. In 2022, for example, Turkey <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/eurostat\/web\/products-eurostat-news\/w\/ddn-20240118-1\">accounted<\/a> for 39% of Europe&#8217;s waste exports, which included around 400,000 tonnes of plastic.<\/p>\n<p>This waste has <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.equaltimes.org\/turkey-europe-s-rubbish-dump\">serious consequences<\/a> for the environment and human health. A Greenpeace <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/GAME_OF_WASTE_SHORT_V_ING_FINAL.pdf\">report<\/a> published in 2022 found that toxins released from Turkey&#8217;s plastic waste end up in the fruit and vegetables produced in the \u00c7ukurova valley, one of the most fertile valleys in the world.<\/p>\n<p>A continued decline in domestic waste collection in Turkey would create a vicious cycle. The value of Turkey&#8217;s own waste will decrease, further impoverishing informal waste pickers, all while the country&#8217;s reliance on imported waste grows to sustain its recycling infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>The future of informal waste picking in Turkey remains uncertain. But as the country continues to formalize its waste management system, the challenges facing the sector&#8217;s informal workers must not be ignored.<\/p>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium mt-4\">\n<p>                                                    Provided by<br \/>\n                                                                                                            The Conversation<br \/>\n                                                                                                                <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\"><br \/>\n                                                            <svg>\n                                                                <use href=\"https:\/\/phys.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v6\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/>\n                                                            <\/svg><br \/>\n                                                        <\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n                                                  This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/turkeys-plan-to-recycle-more-has-made-life-hard-for-its-informal-waste-pickers-238661\">original article<\/a>.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/238661\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\"\/>\n                                             <\/p>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>                                                <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                Turkey&#8217;s plan to recycle more has made life hard for its informal waste pickers (2024, October 8)<br \/>\n                                                retrieved 8 October 2024<br \/>\n                                                from https:\/\/phys.org\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2024-10-turkey-recycle-life-hard-pickers.html<\/p>\n<p>                                             This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n                                             part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2024-10-turkey-recycle-life-hard-pickers.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Credit: CC0 Public Domain Turkey&#8217;s 500,000 or so informal waste pickers carry out around 80% of the recycling in the country. These workers, who are also known as \u00e7ek\u00e7ek\u00e7i, are essential for separating out waste in a country where this is rarely done at source. But their lives are precarious. Most of them are unregistered,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":640965,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2019\/waste.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-640964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=640964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640964\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/640965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=640964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=640964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=640964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}