Türkiye to Ban Single-Use Plastics for Environmental Sustainability

The draft regulation will prohibit the sale and distribution of a series of commonly used single-use plastic products that are major sources of environmental pollution, including plastic cutlery (forks, knives, spoons), plates, straws, beverage cups, stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton swabs. In addition, food containers and beverage cups made of expanded polystyrene (EPS), commonly known as foam packaging, are also included in the banned list. Turkish authorities will promote the use of glass, porcelain, wood, cardboard and other eco-friendly alternatives to replace the prohibited plastic products.

Environmental Goals and Expected Impacts

This single-use plastic ban is an important part of Türkiye's Zero Waste Movement, a key environmental strategy focused on cutting waste generation and raising national recycling rates. Prior to this new regulation, the Turkish government has already implemented a deposit return system to boost the recycling rate of beverage packaging.

Official estimates show that phasing out the targeted single-use plastics will bring significant environmental and economic benefits: it can reduce carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by about 1.5 million metric tons annually and save nearly 1.5 billion Turkish lira in waste management costs each year. Data from the Turkish Statistical Institute shows that Türkiye consumed more than 709,000 tons of single-use plastic products in 2022, including plastic cups, food containers, plates, straws and disposable cutlery, and the consumption volume has continued to rise in the following years.

Alignment with EU Environmental Norms

The upcoming ban is also intended to align Türkiye's environmental policies with the EU's Single-Use Plastics Directive adopted in 2019. Several EU member states such as France, Germany and Spain have already introduced similar restrictions on disposable plastic products.

Notably, PET(Polyethylene Terephthalate) plastic is not included in the scope of this single-use plastic ban for the time being. In fact, Türkiye has previously put forward relevant requirements for PET plastic products: it has mandated a minimum of 30% recycled PET material content in small PET bottles since 2023, and is also advancing the improvement of PET bottle classification and collection systems, planning to raise the classification collection rate of PET bottles to 85% by the end of 2026. This reflects Türkiye's differentiated regulatory approach to plastic products – banning non-recyclable and highly polluting single-use plastics while promoting the circular utilization of recyclable plastic materials such as PET.

Strong Public Support and Policy Progress

A survey conducted during the drafting of the regulation shows that Turkish society has a high degree of recognition for reducing plastic waste: 77.65% of respondents support reducing the use of single-use plastics in daily life, and 60.02% are in favor of a complete ban on some single-use plastic products.

The draft regulation will be open for public consultation in the coming weeks, with opinions solicited from public institutions, civil society organizations and industry representatives. After absorbing and integrating the feedback, Turkish authorities will finalize the regulation and officially implement it by the end of 2026. In the subsequent phase of the policy, Türkiye will also introduce stricter labeling requirements and consumption control targets for composite beverage cups, food containers and other plastic-related products.

Source: https://www.turkiyetoday.com/nation/turkiye-moves-to-ban-single-use-plastics-products-3216046?s=1