Türkiye is moving towards banning single-use plastics, with the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation, and Climate Change, finalising a new regulation based on the European Union’s Single-Use Plastics directive. The Ministry and the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) completed a joint survey that found over 76% of citizens were in favour of the restrictions.
Anna Shvets
Türkiye looks to ban single-use plastics in line with the EU
The Single-Use Plastics (SUP) directive was adopted in 2019 and aims to prevent and reduce the impact of certain plastic products on both the environment and human health. The ban relates to common disposable items like plastic cutlery, plates, straws, and plastic-stemmed cotton buds.
The regulation is expected to come into effect by the end of the year and encourages a shift toward more sustainable alternatives that are made from materials like glass, porcelain, wood, and cardboard. According to the Ministry, the ban could result in an annual reduction of 1.5 million tons of carbon emissions, with a saving of around $44 million in costs associated with waste management.
Additionally, the country could see stricter labelling requirements introduced as well as consumption targets for composite beverage cups, food containers, wet wipes, and plastic bags used for shipping.
