ISTANBUL – In Arnavutköy, illegal waste dumping is causing extensive environmental damage, with farmlands and water basins increasingly filled with construction debris, plastic waste, and foam. Despite the presence of municipal and private waste disposal sites, truck drivers are opting to dump waste indiscriminately to avoid tipping fees and long queues at weighbridges, leading to widespread pollution.
Surveillance Cameras Ignored as Waste Continues to Pile Up
Even areas equipped with security cameras to deter illegal dumping are being disregarded. Cemalettin Erdoğan, a resident of Yeşilbayır village, expressed his frustration, stating, “They dump and flee day and night. There are security cameras, but they still dump at night and escape. If they had any respect, would they dump where there are cameras? Someone who doesn’t respect themselves won’t respect me.”
Aerial footage reveals the extent of the problem, showing vast areas covered in illegally dumped refuse.
Farmlands Rendered Unusable, Residents Helpless
Metin Altıntaş, another resident of Yeşilbayır village in Arnavutköy, voiced his concerns about the impact on agricultural land. “We are also complainants because they are making our fields unusable. Huge amounts of soil are being dumped. Since it’s immovable, we are forced to spread it across our fields. We can’t do anything else.”
Altıntaş added, “If I saw who was dumping, I wouldn’t let them go; but since it happens late at night, we can’t see them. How can you accuse someone without seeing them? We have to see it. We are dealing with this, and we are complaining about it. They dump along our roads. They dump garbage, filth, and bread near the railway tracks. They dump everything, but we can’t see them. Construction waste and debris are unfortunately also dumped. I haven’t seen it, but if I did, I would complain. Because it harms us too. I put in effort to spread that soil. There’s nothing we can do. We complained to the municipality. My son complained a month ago that ‘soil is being dumped on our fields,’ but no results were obtained. We were forced to spread and level the soil in the field. Where else can we take it and dump it? Construction soil has been dumped on our fields. There’s nothing we can do. We made our complaint, not an official complaint, but an informal one to prevent further dumping.”
“We Want Our Village to Be Beautiful”
Metin Altıntaş emphasized the environmental degradation, stating, “We want our village to be beautiful. They are creating ugliness. They bring bread and other inappropriate waste and dump it. They create ugliness along the roads. They are polluting nature, unfortunately, this is our complaint. We propose that the authorities take necessary action. We would be pleased if they do. Also, the dumped soil was placed right under a security camera, and no one cared. This was probably seen, but no action was taken.”
“Someone Who Doesn’t Respect Themselves Won’t Respect Nature”
Cemalettin Erdoğan reiterated the lack of respect shown by those responsible for the dumping. “We walk in nature. I wouldn’t leave someone who pollutes our nature there. It’s that simple. I haven’t heard, let alone heard, if I saw it, I would still take action, if I heard, I would still tell them not to do it. I would tell them myself not to do it. They dump and flee day and night. There are security cameras, but they dump at night and escape. If they had any respect, would they dump where there are cameras? Someone who doesn’t respect themselves won’t respect me. Those who dump these things have no self-respect. Someone who has no self-respect will have no respect for nature or anyone else. They will have no respect for the plants given by God. Because they have no self-respect, they have no respect for the camera, no respect for anything.”
The ongoing issue highlights a significant challenge in Istanbul’s environmental protection efforts, with local authorities struggling to enforce regulations against illegal waste disposal.
