Eunomia says EPR is being considered as a way to reduce the number of mattresses being fly-tipped and sent to landfill each year.
The environmental consultancy said around 600,000 mattresses are sent to Scottish landfill sites each year, and are often illegally dumped.
Work will include researching the potential for EPR as a way to “improve the life cycle production of mattresses”, the partnership will also look at the “economic, environmental and equality impacts of proposed options” for the scheme.
Eunomia added that it will develop a business case for a preferred mattress EPR scheme, tailored to the Scottish context.
EPR is laid out as an option to help achieve the Scottish Governments recycling targets of 70% by 2025, in its strategy ‘Making Things Last: A Circular Economy Strategy for Scotland’.
It was also listed in the Resources and Waste Strategy as on of the areas the English government will “consider” for an EPR system before 2022.
LGA
Eunomia’s’ announcement follows recent calls from the Local Government Association (LGA) for mattress manufactures to be forced to recycle their own products and offer take-back services. (see letsrecycle story)
In March this year, the LGA said that these measures would stop mattresses being fly tipped and would reduce cost pressures on council recycling and waste disposal centres.
An analysis by the association suggested that 7.26 million mattresses are sold annual in the UK, while only 1.36 are recycled.
The association added that of 646,039 fly tipping incidents reported between 2013 and 2018, mattresses made up 13%.
Partnership
Zero waste Scotland and the National Bed Federation are already working in partnership to develop means for improving the life cycle management of mattresses in Scotland.
Announced in January this year, the three-year research partnership aims to increase mattress recycling and encourage more sustainable designs.
The NBF said it is aiming to divert 75% of all new mattresses from landfill by 2028.
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