One of the new versions of colonialism: Waste colonialism

Colonialism never ends as a result of the capitalist mode of production and relations dominant in developed central countries; it emerges with new versions. In this direction, there are negative reflections of colonialism on peripheral countries.

One of these is "One of the New Versions of Colonialism: Waste Colonialism," which has been emerging increasingly in recent times. Waste colonialism is reflected in peripheral countries as if it were a dimension of industrialization through environmentally polluting activities such as mining exploration, the shipbreaking industry, the cement industry, and the foundry industry.

If you wish, let us provide a brief reminder regarding "Waste Colonialism."

What is Waste Colonialism?

Waste colonialism is defined as the process by which developed central countries send their industrial waste, such as electronic, plastic, and hazardous chemical waste, to developing countries through legal or illegal means, effectively turning these countries into a "waste dump."

While the ruling powers of developed central countries keep their own environments clean, they offload environmental pollution and health risks onto weaker countries. However, one of the important points that should be addressed is: shouldn't we also question the silence of the working classes in those countries, in other words, those who benefit to some extent from international exploitation?

What are the Characteristics of the Waste?

• Electronic waste (e-waste): Used devices such as computers, phones, and televisions. They are sent to African and Asian countries.

• Plastic waste: Especially after China banned plastic waste imports in 2018, this waste has been directed toward countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Turkey.(*)

• Hazardous chemical waste: Some developed central countries export chemicals that are difficult to dispose of to poor countries.

Shall we examine the consequences of waste colonialism?

• It creates irreversible environmental pollution in peripheral countries. Soil, air, and water are poisoned. Agriculture becomes impossible, and dependence on foreign sources for food increases as agricultural production declines.

• It harms human health. It increases diseases such as cancer and respiratory illnesses. Child labor is also more negatively affected by this situation.

• It makes economic dependence on central countries permanent. However, the collaborative capital groups of peripheral countries accept this waste for their short-term gains.

There is a "Basel Convention"(**) regarding waste imports. However, there are those who say that this convention is debated at the international level and that inspections in practice remain insufficient. In my opinion, "can any good come from conventions organized under the supervision of central countries?" I do not know. I would like to leave the answer to you.

Shall We Take a Look at Turkey's Waste Industry?

In Turkey, where environmental capitalism is dominant, we are moving rapidly toward becoming the "dump" of imperialist countries.

Some call this situation "Capital Accumulation Through Pollution."

According to data from the European Statistical Office (Eurostat) and the United Nations (UN) Comtrade, EU member countries exported 32.1 million tons of waste to non-EU countries in 2022.

Turkey became the largest destination country for waste exported from the EU in 2022. With a volume of 12.4 million tons, 39 percent of total waste exports went to Turkey. The second largest destination was India, which received 3.5 million tons of waste from the EU in 2022.

60 percent of ferrous metal waste (10.7 million tons) and 15 percent of paper waste (4.6 million tons) exported from the EU were imported into Turkey.

What Can We Do Against Waste Colonialism?

There is no other solution than to create public awareness against waste colonialism. Most of us are not aware of this colonialism.

Environmentally sensitive democratic mass organizations should organize activities on this issue.(***)

This issue should be conveyed to political parties. It should be brought up as a topic for activities of organizations at the provincial and district levels.

In short, the discourse of "We are importing raw materials, not trash" should be questioned, and waste imports should be stopped.

(*) There are also scientists in Turkey who voice the negative aspects of waste imports. Speaking to BBC Turkish, Prof. Dr. Sedat Gündoğdu, a faculty member at Çukurova University Faculty of Fisheries, noted that 600-700 thousand tons of plastic are imported into Turkey annually; although it is claimed that this is a raw material transfer or an economic activity, in reality, pollution is being imported from other countries, and he stated that raw materials can only be produced from 200-250 thousand tons of the imported plastic. Gündoğdu said that the non-recyclable parts either mix into the water system, are illegally dumped into the environment, or are burned in recycling facilities. "It is claimed that in some places this waste is taken to cement factories, but since there is no proper data tracking system, we do not know its fate," he said. (See: https://www.bbc.com/turkce/articles/c3rxpwe8r49o)

(**) Turkey became a party to the Basel Convention in 1994. The purpose of the Basel Convention was to reduce the transboundary movement of hazardous and other wastes, to ensure the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous and other wastes as close as possible to their source, and to minimize the generation of hazardous and other wastes. Based on the Convention and the Environmental Law, Turkey prepared the "Hazardous Waste Control Regulation (TAKY)" and it entered into force in 1995. With TAKY, all kinds of waste imports into our country were banned. This regulation was repealed in 2016, and waste imports were initiated under the influence of demands from business circles. Later, due to public reaction, plastic waste imports were banned again with a communiqué published in the Official Gazette on May 18, 2021. The decision officially entered into force on July 2, 2021. However, the Ministry of Trade withdrew the ban with a communiqué published again in the Official Gazette on July 10, 2021. Today, all kinds of waste imports continue to increase.

(***) İZÇEP (Izmir Environmental Volunteers Platform) is one of them. On September 6, 2025, my colleague from İZÇEP, Alaettin Hacımüezzin, also issued a warning regarding Waste Colonialism with his article titled "Imbalance in Imports; Where Are We Looking While Polluting Our Water and Breath?". Organizations like İZÇEP need to become widespread.