Sewage in our waters

Contributor(s): Ed Conway, Dr Kamala Dawar, David Henderson, James Wallace | We have a growing waste problem, which has been around for some time and is only getting worse. Dumping of sewage is threatening the health of our rivers. Plastics have penetrated deep into the world’s oceans. Leakages from landfills, farming and industry are contaminating our soil and groundwater. Waste pollution harms public health, biodiversity and the environment. To address it, we need new laws and huge investments. There has been much recent controversy in the UK around Sewage in Our Waters. New laws would have to specify who has the responsibility of undertaking the transition and the investments – water companies, producers, consumers or governments? Preventing transboundary waste flows would require international action to plug loopholes in domestic laws and international conventions.