What happens to toxic waste? #Law #Environment #LSE

What happens when toxic waste is buried and forgotten? Why are people in UK towns still getting sick decades later?

From birth defects and childhood cancers to smouldering illegal landfills, industrial pollution is having a lasting effect on public health in Britain. In this episode of Future Proof, LSE Assistant Professor of Law, Dr Roxana Willis, explores how water pollution and air pollution from past and present waste disposal continue to shape health inequalities, and why poor communities are most affected.

We visit the stories behind the headlines: from the true story of Corby’s toxic town and what happened after the landmark court case; to the smouldering Rainham landfill; to the campaign for Zane's Law. Together they reveal a pattern researchers call slow violence: harm from industrial pollution that unfolds over decades, not days.

Dr Willis discusses how the LSE Waste Law Clinic aims to support Corby residents’ push for a public enquiry, and asks who pays for Britain's toxic waste legacy. She explains what would need to change to future-proof our communities, such as the need for a public national register of contaminated sites, stronger enforcement against illegal dumping on brownfield land, and the polluter pays principle to fund clean-up and health monitoring.

In 2026, our Future Proof series goes behind the scenes with some of LSE's sustainability experts to explore what a sustainable and resilient future could look like, and how the social sciences can help us build it.