The Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO) is the idea that there is a unique, supremely beneficial—or least environmentally damaging—method of disposing wastes in a cost-effective manner, in both the short- and long-term. Definition According to the 12th Report of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP), the BPEO is defined as “the outcome of a systematic and consultative decision- making procedure which emphasizes the protection and conservation of the environment across land, air and water”. The BPEO goal, curated by the United Kingdom's RCEP, identifies and evaluates proposed disposal methods using environmental and economic auditing tools that ultimately aim to provide environmentally and economically viable solutions; solutions that may be easily coordinated with the laws, institutions and policies governing the control of pollution. Philosophically, the BPEO concept is similar to the practice of sustainable development. The rationale behind the BPEO is “polluter-orientated—not policy-, planning-, or environmentally-, directed”—an ideology that is intended to facilitate the comparison of disposal options by associating each practice with its respective environmental impacts. This comparison establishes the opportunity to change current disposal practices and implement less environmentally harmful options. From a criterion standpoint, the BPEO must meet certain standards of practicality for successful implementation in legislative and social aspects—otherwise, the BPEO would only be the best ‘environmental’ option. Although the BPEO is determined by the previously defined criteria, the concept emphasizes that the waste hierarchy—reduce, reuse, recycle, recovery and disposal—cannot be applied without taking into consideration the environmental, economic and social impacts associated with the options considered, given that the BPEO must be economically and socially sustainable as well. Development History Early derivatives of BPEO formed due to the notable concern and focus on environmental auditing—as such, to understand the development of BPEO, it is critical to understand the origins of environmental auditing. Environmental auditing was originally developed as a business management tool to address concerns about compliance with legislation and regulations. Further, “environmental auditing provides environmental performance[s]” and has the capability to identify “any negative environmental impacts” and evaluate “the opportunities to change current practices in order to improve that performance”. For that reason, environmental auditing tools are necessary for the establishment of the BPEO. However, environmental auditing was highly regarded long before the creation of the BPEO—in fact, this auditing mechanism played a primary role in the establishment of BPEO's predecessor, BPM, or “best practicable means”. Additionally, “BATNEEC”, also known as “BAT”, or the