The impact of climate-related environmental change on the UK solid waste sector

Abstract

This paper describes the solid waste sector in the UK and its interactions with other parts of the wider UK infrastructure system before exploring the potential effects of climate change and severe weather in the context of the UKCP09 scenarios. There is limited evidence for the direct effects of climate change on the UK solid waste sector. However, it is apparent that much of the disruption to the sector comes from the impact on transport infrastructure. The paper concludes that the biggest climate-related threat to the solid waste sector, as with the UK infrastructure system generally, is flooding due to future increases in winter mean rainfall and peak rainfall events in summer and winter.