Potential post-Brexit implications for UK's waste policy

UK's recycling sector relies heavily on the EU

The UK has undergone a massive waste management shift in the past four decades, from the 'dirty man of Europe' to a cleaner, more sustainable country with responsible waste regulation policies, and EU legislation has played a crucial role in this transition. The United Kingdom has slowly drifted from the predominant landfill approach to selective recycling by implementing a series of environmental measures, increasing stability and instilling responsible behaviours in both the residential and commercial sectors. Guided by EU legislation, British environmental efforts have had stable implementation mechanisms, but environmentalists fear that Brexit could leave the UK without a clear future waste strategy.

The UK sends around 15 million tonnes of recycled materials overseas and one fifth of these go to the EU, where they are used to generate heat and electricity in Energy-from-Waste (EfW) power plants. The rest to be sent to China, but following China's waste import ban that came into force on January 1^st, UK, along with many other EU states, are looking for alternative markets.

UK recycling rates have grown considerably in the past years, not only in the residential sector, but also in the commercial one, where businesses have become more involved in recycling by adding sorting units or balers and compactors on site. From the sales of recyclable materials to the EU, the UK gains about £1 billion and pays £400 million to energy-from-waste plants in Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavian countries to receive the material which would otherwise end up in domestic landfills. UK's lack of waste management and treatment plants could become a problem after Brexit, leading to increased illegal dumping (which is already at a worrying 2 million tonnes) and higher production costs. According to ESA, the UK will have a waste treatment capacity shortfall of up to 6 million tonnes in 2030.

The UK lacks the necessary landfill capacity

According to a recent report, the UK is running out of landfill and Brexit could lead to a waste crisis if the Government does not take clear measures. Combined with the Chinese waste important ban and lack of clear post-Brexit waste management initiatives, the UK would be left without its safety valve: refuse-derived fuel exports. There have been few landfill investments in recent years and by 2020 the UK will only be left with about 50 of them, but authorities have not compensated through the development of alternative infrastructure, so the UK will have to pay higher costs for waste activity in the absence of a free trade agreement. One reason why this challenge has not been tacked yet could be that The Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs is more concerned about the implications of Brexit on agriculture, but the delay could hinder infrastructure development even more. Experts argue that post-Brexit implications would be the most severe in the industrial sector. Because residential and commercial recycling practices have become second nature to many, it is highly unlikely for recycling rates to drop or for the general population to be less concerned about the environment. Waste balers and compactors for businesses have already become staples, as have recycling bins for homes, but there needs to be a clear initiative from the Government and the UK should have a consistent strategy across all sectors.

Possible post-Brexit scenarios

Brexit will undoubtedly disrupt the UK's waste management strategy, but to what extent it will affect it in the long run remains to be seen. Researchers from Cardiff University analyse three possible scenarios in a report called Assessing the Impact of Brexit on the UK Waste Resource Management Sector:

• Brexit could continue to apply the EU approach, maintain the same legislation and function based on the Circular Economy Action Plan, which includes key elements such as: a target for recycling 75% of packaging waste by 2030, promotion of economic instruments to discourage landfilling, stimulating industrial symbiosis and economic incentives for green producers.
• The UK could see Brexit as an opportunity to sustain environmental efforts by diverging from the EU approach and maximizing the economic potential of waste. They could develop domestic waste treatment infrastructure, create a national action plan and utilise valuable secondary raw materials and stable renewable energy to support the British industry.
• Waste management strategies could devolve and, without the UK's inclusive framework, there could be less interaction between England, Scotland and Wales. Each territory would have their own approach to waste collection and management, strategies would be fragmented and would rely heavily on the voluntary actions of businesses and political groups.