According to reports, a recent report released by the international environmental protection organization "Greenpeace" said that the United Kingdom is continuing to dump waste to other countries, with more than half of the waste, including supermarket packaging and plastic bags, going to Turkey and Malaysia
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Garbage includes packaging for Covid-19 testing
Garbage includes packaging for Covid-19 testingGreenpeace investigators found piles of rubbish illegally dumped on roadsides, fields or drains at 10 sites around the southern province of Adana
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Plastic waste from the UK, including packaging and plastic bags from top UK supermarkets and shops, was found in these locations, the report said
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The found items even included packaging for the COVID-19 antigen test
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About 241 trucks of plastic waste arrive in Turkey every day
About 241 trucks of plastic waste arrive in Turkey every dayGreenpeace says more than half of the UK's plastic waste is going to Turkey and Malaysia, the equivalent of three and a half Olympic-sized swimming pools being shipped abroad every day
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Turkey has been inundated with plastic waste from other countries, said Nihan Temiz Attas, head of the biodiversity program at Greenpeace's Mediterranean branch
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"The uncontrolled import of plastic waste adds to the problems that exist in Turkey's recycling system," she said
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She revealed that about 241 truckloads of plastic waste arrive in Turkey from all over Europe every day
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"We are still the largest plastic waste dump in European countries, both in terms of data and on-site
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Calls for government 'control'
Calls for government 'control'Nina Schrank, of Greenpeace UK, said: "It is shocking that plastics on UK supermarket shelves end up burning in piles on the roadside in Turkey 3,000km away
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We must stop putting plastic Garbage dumped in other countries
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She said: "The UK is the world's second largest user of plastic products after the US
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The government must 'control' the problem by banning the export of plastic waste and reducing single-use plastic by 50% by 2025.
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In September 2020 alone, the UK shipped more than 7,000 tonnes of plastic waste to countries including Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia, according to the non-profit organisation Last Beach Cleanup
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A spokeswoman for the UK's Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: "We are well aware that the UK should handle more waste domestically, which is part of our commitment to ban the export of plastic waste to non-OECD countries, as well as to countries such as Turkey.
Reasons for drastic measures for illegal waste exports
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