Adnan Khan on the human toll of Turkey's importing of Europe's waste episode artwork

EPISODE · Jan 20, 2026 · 37 MIN

Adnan Khan on the human toll of Turkey's importing of Europe's waste

from Turkey Book Talk · host William Armstrong

Journalist Adnan Khan on the spectacular growth of Turkey's plastic waste imports and the role of migrant labour in the sector. His work paints a grim portrait of how the EU-Turkey migration deal and China's banning of plastic waste imports have helped the industry flourish in Turkey - with deadly human consequences. Please support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon or Substack. Supporters get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, and links to articles related to each episode.

Journalist Adnan Khan on the spectacular growth of Turkey’s plastic waste imports and the role of migrant labour in the sector. Adnan is the author of two major investigations for the Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP): “A Deadly Trade - Refugee Labor in Turkey and Europe’s Plastic Waste” and “Dirty Work - The Hidden Machinery and Human Toll of Europe’s Broken Recycling Trade”. Both articles paint a grim portrait of how a confluence of circumstances, including the EU-Turkey migration deal and China’s banning of plastic waste imports, have helped the industry flourish in Turkey - with deadly human consequences Please support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon or Substack. Supporters get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, and links to articles related to each episode. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2998854&fan_landing=true Substack: https://turkeybooktalk.substack.com/

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Adnan Khan on the human toll of Turkey's importing of Europe's waste

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Journalist Adnan Khan on the spectacular growth of Turkey's plastic waste imports and the role of migrant labour in the sector. His work paints a grim portrait of how the EU-Turkey migration deal and China's banning of plastic waste imports have...

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