Will we, won’t we? It’s a subject that is likely to dominate the headlines for the next few months, as UK residents prepare to vote whether or not we should leave the EU.
For many, the decision is clear cut, whereas others have openly expressed their confusion over what Brexit would really mean.
Perhaps this is because there are so many factors to consider – the outcome of the ‘stay or go’ decision could affect the economy, jobs, legislation, global trade and our standard of living, one way or another.
We’re mindful of the potential impact on the waste and recycling sector too, which is why we focused on Brexit as the topic of our March poll.
So what results did the research reveal?
When asked to choose the statement they most agreed with, our participants showed relatively strong solidarity, with 67% believing that an exit would have a potentially negative impact on our industry. 22% thought an exit would strengthen the position of the industry, whereas 11% didn’t think the industry would experience any change.
UNTHA UK’s managing director certainly agrees with the majority. In fact, regular viewers of the BBC Breakfast Show may have seen Marcus on the famous red couch last month, when he was interviewed by presenters Naga Munchetty and Ben Thompson on this very subject.
He commented: “It’s perhaps unsurprising that I think we should stay in the EU – we are part of a global business with a strong presence in Europe. I am also mindful of the jobs we’ve worked hard to create throughout our operation, and I think we should do our utmost to protect those. The successful trade of goods and services throughout the continent is key to this.
“On a wider economic level I’m concerned about the risk to GDP which could represent a loss of billions. There is so much turbulence at present that I think we should minimise any further disruption that Brexit could inevitably cause. We ought to maintain our focus and make the most of the desire for positive change that some of our neighbouring member states have also expressed.”
In terms of the likely impact of Brexit on waste and recycling, Marcus disputes many claims from industry thinkers who believe there will be no change.
When considering the likely impact of an exit on the waste and recycling industry, Marcus continued: “EU Directives have given the UK the impetus to work towards a more sustainable future, and I worry that environmental commitments will be shelved if we’re no longer driven by international targets. It is a possibility that the UK government would have eventually transformed the country’s mindset towards landfill, but with so much focus on party-level politics, I don’t think our resource agenda would be as advanced, without wider EU involvement.
“We still lag behind the environmental progress of some of our European neighbours such as Denmark and Austria, so I think we have more to gain collectively, than disparately.”