“The Turkish Mediterranean coast is the most polluted coast in the whole Mediterranean because of the plastic waste from the recycling factories. There’s huge amounts of microplastics – sometimes people can’t even get into the sea because of all the waste.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/30/germany-largest-exporter-plastic-waste-2025?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Germany was largest exporter of plastic waste in 2025, sending 810,000 tonnes overseas, analysis finds
UK was close behind, exporting 675,000 tonnes, with much of the waste sent to Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia
Sigi Lautenbacher