The UK is one of the world’s largest plastic polluters, producing around 11 million tons of plastic waste each year. Much of it is exported, often illegally. A recent Greenpeace investigation shows that in 2020, over 200,000 tonnes were shipped to Turkey, dumped in landfills or burnt. EU countries have also been sending more and more plastic waste to Turkey – Germany alone dumped 136,000 tons in 2020. Such illegal imports are usually facilitated by corruption at different stages, from bribing officials and border guards to corruption in licensing. While Turkey has banned imports of most plastic, other countries are heavily affected by ever-growing illicit waste trafficking.