How might Brexit impact UK councils’ EU recycling targets?

There is a good deal of confusion about what Brexit will mean in practice.

It sometimes seems there is a common belief that we will see a bonfire of regulations. In some areas, that may well be true, but no bonfire is going to happen any time soon in the area of compliance with EU policy on waste disposal and recycling. 

There are two reasons for this: the first is the Prime Minister’s repeated statements that ours will be the first generation to leave the environment in a better condition than it found it; and the second is that, unless we comply with EU recycling and waste disposal targets, we won’t get a workable trade deal.

The White Paper, 'Legislating for the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union', made clear that what it called 'the whole body' of environmental law will continue to apply in the UK post-Brexit.  

Questions have also been raised about policing and enforcement of environmental law, and the House of Lords EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee warned that a 'vacuum' in enforcing environmental law would result from leaving the EU. Perhaps the best response to this is that the UK is already among the leading enforcers of environmental law, and it is UK agencies and not the EU that are responsible for that enforcement. Many countries, especially in eastern Europe, which intend to remain in the EU, are poor enforcers of environmental law.

The regulations in question apply to waste, landfill, packaging, and WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), so that the EU Directives on landfill, packaging and packaging waste, together with the EU Waste Framework, will all continue to apply.

The only proviso the government has added is that they may wish to change regulations in the future. But, if they do, they will consult beforehand. We may be sure that those consultations will not be restricted to matters connected with waste, but will also take account of constraints which may be placed on trading relationships between the UK and EU countries. In fact, the trading web spreads more widely than that, because many countries today want to see compliance with international waste management standards before signing a trading agreement.

In short, what we can be sure of is that, at least for the foreseeable future, nothing changes. This is good news for companies seeking certainty and stability.  

If you have a construction project, domestic or commercial, that you know will generate waste, call us. You can rely on Proskips to ensure total regulatory compliance.

If you require help recycling your household or commercial waste in the Peckham, New Cross, Forrest Hill, Deptford and Southwark areas contact us.