Waste Law Clinic: Transforming Waste Law from the Grassroots Up
Background: In 2009, a landmark UK environmental judgment recognised a link between atmospheric pollution from the negligent disposal of toxic waste in the steelworks town of Corby and health harms affecting pregnant mothers and their children (Corby Group Litigation 2009). The case has received renewed public attention following Netflix’s drama Toxic Town. Corby residents believe the harms associated with toxic waste exposure may extend well beyond those recognised in the judgment. The Corby Childhood Cancer Campaign has gathered data suggesting that childhood cancer rates in Corby may be significantly above the national average. Families suspect a connection with toxic waste from the steelworks, which was allegedly buried unlawfully in parts of the town where homes and schools were later built. The Clinic’s work is intended to support the Corby community in obtaining to best available information to decide on a plan of action.
The recruitment process of our first cohort of students is ongoing in September 2026 for Autumn and Winter Term 2026.
A team of LSE academics and lawyers have established the UK’s first Waste Law Clinic (WLC) to provide pro bono legal assistance, advice, and support to communities facing climate injustices linked to contaminated soil and toxic waste exposure.
In its first year (2026/27), the WLC will focus on residents of Corby, in Northamptonshire, to determine where the toxic waste from the Corby steelworks reclamation was relocated. In close collaboration with community members, citizen scientists and instructed lawyers, students will be asked, inter alia, to: complete a literature review of existing research reports and studies on waste, remediation, housing, planning, and building works in Corby; create a map and well-organised archive of the data already collected; conduct an interdisciplinary analysis of the data collected to date; identify untapped data sources for further investigation; and gather and collate additional data from existing archives.
Over time, the WLC aims to expand its support to communities across the UK and beyond.
Contacts:
Find out more:
How the TV drama Toxic Town captures the slow violence of industrial and environmental harms
The toxic waste crisis poisoning UK towns | LSE Future Proof
Collins Solicitors is pleased to now be working with esteemed London School of Economics