🚮🇪🇺 Where does EU rubbish go?

In May 2022, Eurostat released the waste shipment statistics for 2021. According to the news brief, exports of waste from the EU to non-EU countries reached 33.0 million tonnes, an increase of 77% since 2004. Around the same time, Greenpeace waded in with a series of reports about illegally dumped and burned imported plastic waste to Turkey.

Asking the question "Where does our rubbish go?" led me to this #visualization. In this beginner-friendly viz project, you will find insights and resources on the main destinations of EU export of waste from Eurostat's "Trade in waste by type of material and partner" database, using matplotlib, seaborn, and raceplotly .

A garbage dump in southern Turkey, Adana. Photographic and video evidence show that plastic bags and packaging from the EU Member States and the UK are being dumped and burned illegally across southern Turkey.

PC: Greenpeace

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✍️ Update: Op-Ed Published

In 2025, I revisited this work in light of ongoing waste shipment issues and wrote an op-ed for Eurasia Review:

👉 Europe’s Waste Paradox: How Turkey Became the EU’s Dumping Ground (Eurasia Review, Jan 2025)(PDF)

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🌿 For a green and peaceful future: Made in Europe