The risk posed to the waste and resources sector by Brexit has increased over the last few months, with the UK falling further behind EU standards and ambition, according to Greener UK’s latest Brexit Risk Tracker. Greener UK, a coalition of 13 major environmental organisations co-ordinated by think tank Green Alliance, has been tracking the progress of Brexit and the risk posed to environmental protections since June 2017, with the latest update making for grim reading as the end of the Brexit transition period in December approaches.
Released on Friday (19 June), the Risk Tracker labels the waste and resources sector at ‘high risk’ over the potential impact of Brexit, with that risk continuing to increase. It highlights that a number of key consultations that were due in England at the end of 2019 and early 2020 have still not appeared and it is unclear when they will do so. These consultations were set to address the transposition of the EU’s Circular Economy Package (CEP) into UK law, waste carriers and the duty of care and extended producer responsibility (EPR) for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). It now seems unlikely that any headline targets from the CEP, including a 65 per cent recycling rate by 2035, will be transposed into UK law by the EU’s July deadline.
While the UK delays, the EU is moving further ahead on waste and resources matters. It has introduced its Single Use Plastics Directive, rejecting calls to delay, while releasing its Circular Economy Action Plan in March, including ambitious measures such as a ban on in-built product obsolescence, introducing the ‘right to repair’ faulty products and restricting the use of single-use products. The UK’s chemicals sector also remains at high risk, with the UK Government confirming in February that it would not seek associate membership of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) or to participate in the EU REACH regulatory framework for chemicals.
Source: Resource
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