"A Guardian investigation finds irrigation canals polluted with microplastics in Turkey, a major destination for UK waste"
"High levels of microplastics and other plastic contamination have been discovered in a waterway close to a major recycling hub in Turkey supplied with plastic waste by British companies.
The polluted waterway, which floods into agricultural fields after heavy rain, feeds into a larger canal used for irrigating crops on the Çukurova plain, in the city of Adana, in the south of the country. It is one of the largest and most fertile agricultural basins in Turkey.
The findings from a Guardian investigation reignite concerns over Britain’s continuing role in “waste colonialism” – a term used to describe the export of plastic waste by rich nations to poorer countries with less regulated waste management.
The UK government pledged to reduce plastic pollution and eliminate harmful plastics during talks to reach a global plastics treaty, which collapsed last year, but it has not committed to a ban on exports. Treaty negotiations are expected to resume in 2027."
Karen McVeigh and Ayça Aldatmaz report for the Guardian August 4, 2026.
