Currently, waste disposal in the UK is mainly regulated by the European Commission in the form of guidelines and directives.

This has allowed for the UK to vastly improve its environmental standing and rid itself of its former position which Miriam Heale describes as the ‘dirty man of Europe’. The main concern over the UK’s exit from the EU seems to be regarding whether policy standards will be changed or dropped completely and how that will affect trade with other countries.

As an island, the UK is always going to have to be aware of the lack of space available for landfill and therefore must always remain realistic about recycling whether we are part of the EU or not. If the UK were to leave the EU it would open up more scope for a change in environmental objectives.