Our local Nature Reserve lies over the top of a capped-over landfill site, dating back w-a-y before Recycling became a thing. It's probably full of that kind of stuff.
Interesting to read in there about the "large amounts of UK waste being exported for recycling " . I recently took a load of scrap metal to the scrapyard and was confronted with signs detailing how certain types of scrap were to be treated and why. For instance copper cabling still with the plastic on (known in the trade as "household" ) was now to have all plugs , fittings and connectors removed to comply with new Chinese import regulations.
I didn't notice the scarcity having much in the way of an upward effect on prices , quite the reverse if anything as most metals were down in price from last year.
I don't know whether to laugh or not at the comments concerning the EU proposals to increase the amount of recycling and the inevitable response that such a move would increase costs to industry and householders.