UK will not be bound by EU deal and opposition MPs say Tory government unlikely to have political will to develop equivalent system

The UK risks becoming the “dirty man of Europe” after Brexit with no plan to deal with the millions of plastic bottles dumped by consumers every week, according to politicians and leading environmental campaigners.

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The EU is currently drawing up an ambitious “circular economy” strategy which aims to make manufacturers take greater responsibility for the way the billions of plastic bottles produced each year are disposed of, collected and recycled.

But leading EU figures and environmental groups warn that the UK will not be bound by the new deal once outside the EU and so risks becoming a dumping ground for plastic and other waste.

Javor Benedek, vice-chair of the EU environment committee, said: “The UK risks falling behind the rest of the EU in the way it deals with the issue of plastic waste and plastic bottles, with little effort for waste prevention and better recycling, less onus on big producers to take responsibility and ultimately more plastic ending up in illegal dump sites or the ocean.”

He added: “There is a real danger it will become the dirty man of Europe in terms of waste management and plastic bottles in particular.”

New figures obtained by the Guardian reveal that people bought more than 480bn plastic drinking bottles around the world in 2016, and that demand will soar another 20% by 2021.

The EU has been working on the circular economy strategy for several years. Before the end of 2017 the European council, the European commission and parliament are expected to hammer out a final agreement, although it may not come fully into force for up to three years.

The package aims to create a “concrete and ambitious programme of action” which covers the whole cycle of goods: from production and consumption to waste management and recycling. It would make manufacturers responsible for their products for their lifetime and bring in ambitious targets for recycling and waste management.

The UK government says it is taking the issue of plastic bottles seriously. A Defra spokesperson said: “We have made great progress in boosting recycling rates for plastic bottles, with their collection for recycling rising from less than 13,000 tonnes in 2000 to over 330,000 tonnes in 2015.

“We will continue to address the impacts of plastics waste as we leave the EU, as part of our ambition to be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state.”

But Lib Dem MEP Catherine Bearder, who also sits on the EU environment committee, said that without the legislative and enforcement framework provided by the EU the government was unlikely to have the resources or political will to develop an equivalent system.

“The new Tory government is not one that respects the environment,” she said. “There is a real danger we will fall behind [the rest of Europe] in terms of the onus we place on big corporations to take responsibility for their waste, which could have big consequences on trade.”

She added: “My fear is that these negotiations on the circular economy package will not be completed until after we leave so even if the government commits to abide by all existing rules in a trade deal it may well not include this.”

She called for a new body to oversee environmental issues from plastic waste to air pollution.

But she warned: “That will take resources and political will – neither of which seems likely with a Tory government. This is not a priority for them but it is an urgent priority for future generations and for the planet.”

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Caroline Lucas, the Green party’s joint leader and sole MP, said the EU had been essential for environmental protections. She warned that with Michael Gove as environment secretary and the Tories in coalition with the “climate-dinosaurs of the DUP” the “UK risks becoming an off-shore pollution haven”.

She added that people’s lives were “awash with throwaway plastic” and said the government must do more to address the issue.

“If we’re going to protect our oceans and our countryside we need to end the age of single-use plastics. It’s time for government, working alongside industry – and drinks companies in particular – to take drastic action.”

Scientists fear that chemicals in plastics and also chemicals which attach themselves to plastic in the natural environment could cause poisoning, infertility and genetic disruption in marine life, and potentially in humans if ingested in high quantities.

Pieter Depous, policy director at the European Environmental Bureau, which represents 141 environment organisations and NGOs across Europe, said marine pollution “knows no borders and it’s in the interest of all European citizens, including the British people, to find a common solution”.

But he warned that the “frequently touted ‘low tax, low regulation’ economic model suggested by Theresa May will most likely result in lower domestic fees for producer responsibility.”

“There will be fewer incentives to manufacture reusable and recyclable packaging solutions, which will in turn lead to more resources being used and more plastic ending up in the ocean.”