Turkey Kocaeli Pesticide Stock English

Pesticide stockpile in Derince, Kocaeli, Turkey.

The Derince pesticide stockpile includes thousands of tons of pesticides which were banned 20 years ago by the government due to environmental and health consequences. These include DDT and Lindane. Since then, ownership of the facility has changed a few times and a dispute over the waste still continues. The Ministry of Environment has unsuccessfully tried to settle this dispute several times. The discussions have proceeded without any involvement of NGOs or the local residents that might be affected by the site. This report aims to define and clarify the facts surrounding the contaminated site and create public attention and engagement to resolve the problem.