Research

Our reports, guides and data tools are available for you to read and download here. Contact us if you would like more details on any of our resources listed here.

5 February 2026

The ‘Urban recycling in Scottish cities’ report assesses the barriers and challenges to recycling in flats with communal collections in Scotland, and the opportunities for improving them.

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24 October 2025

The fifth UK Mattress End of Life Report – created by Resource Futures – reveals rising recycling rates as well as need for reform in design, data, and infrastructure.

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23 October 2025

Our interactive systems maps of the built environment and energy infrastructure sectors – created for Zero Waste Scotland – will be used to inform and support Scotland’s net zero transition efforts.

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30 September 2025

This episode from ClimateXChange explores whether Scotland’s lower landfill tax rate is still doing what it was designed to do.

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11 July 2025

How can businesses avoid greenwashing and embed circularity into their ESG reporting?

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13 June 2025

This report looks into the lower rate of the Scottish Landfill Tax and assesses whether it is still delivering the outcomes the policy is meant to achieve.

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15 May 2025

How can we bring in circular economy practices while continuing to provide a fair deal for highly rural and highly urbanised areas?

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13 May 2025

This free toolkit contains templates, advice and guidance for developing a circular economy value proposition for a business.

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12 May 2025

A report exploring the increasing issue of mobile phone e-waste, offering practical recommendations to address the issue through reuse, repair, refurbishment, and recycling.

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30 April 2025

Zero Waste Scotland commissioned research by our Policy experts to explore challenges and opportunities posed by proposed EPR schemes

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16 April 2025

Resource Futures has produced a set of guidance on behalf of the Local Government Association, helping councillors understand the latest waste and recycling reforms.

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6 March 2025

How can we better understand the data at our fingertips – and make it work for us more effectively?

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13 February 2025

With varying levels of participation and access to electricals recycling, how can we find innovative and community-focused solutions?

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4 February 2025

From 31st March 2025, most businesses and organisations in England will be required to separate their recycling into different streams, as part of the new Simpler Recycling regulations. This free guide, created by Resource Futures’ experts in waste strategy and behaviour change, outlines the key information organisations need – and the actions they need to …

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24 January 2025

How can we increase local sustainable and regenerative activity in communities in an efficient, cost-effective way?

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23 January 2025

Our latest research, featured in CIWM’s report, ‘Shaping future financial and fiscal policies for a more circular economy in the UK’, explores the main incentives being introduced and how they could be strengthened.  

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15 January 2025

On behalf of the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), Resource Futures has carried out a high-level assessment of circular economy, resources and waste policy in England.

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20 December 2024

How can we navigate the challenges of setting up new recycling collections, and find practical ways to reduce food waste?

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26 November 2024

To support the OEP in its work, Resource Futures supplied a comprehensive assessment of waste management and illegal disposal in Northern Ireland.

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18 November 2024

A three-step approach to help for governments and industry tackle marine litter from fishing and aquaculture.

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19 April 2023

A blueprint for anyone with an interest in developing repair and reuse initiatives, and in finding routes to engaging new audiences.

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31 March 2021

This guide will walk you through five steps to help you embrace the circular economy in your business by enabling a circular business model.

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16 June 2020

Resource Futures produced two guides for Zero Waste Scotland and their Resource Efficient Scotland Programme. They were designed to improve waste prevention on construction projects in Scotland, focusing on maximising re-use and promoting best practice.

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12 February 2020

Research on the plastic value chain in Scotland to better understand this landscape and the potential for intervention to address marine plastic pollution.

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24 January 2020

Using up to date composition data of mixed residual commercial and industrial waste in Wales to estimate the proportion of the residual waste produced in Wales which could be avoided through recycling or composting.

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23 January 2020

WRAP, on behalf of DEFRA, commissioned Resource Futures to conduct research into the composition of residual waste from two waste streams: non-household waste collected by local authorities and non-household waste collected by private companies.

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6 January 2020

The Recycling Quality Information Point (ReQIP) project brought together information from a wide range of reprocessors about their quality requirements for the recyclates they received, and highlighted what they classed as ‘prohibited materials’ which could affect the integrity of their raw material.

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20 December 2019

A scoping report from WRAP sharing existing evidence on the extent of microfibre shedding from UK clothing over the life cycle.

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5 November 2019

Resource Futures led the primary data gathering fieldwork for WRAP’s 2019 Retail Survey. We surveyed a range of own-brand and branded food products to identify and record data which influence the amount of avoidable food waste in the home.

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1 October 2019

Resource Futures was commissioned by Defra to undertake a preliminary assessment of the impacts of a ban on expanded polystyrene.

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