Half a billion pounds saving for Scottish small firms…

Scottish firms are getting a helping hand as the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has decided to reduce the rates involved with environmental fees as the recession’s clutch on the economy tightens.

As a result, Scottish businesses will have saved a small fortune, £550,000 what with the waived fee for environmental licenses and for licenses for farmers to dispose of sheep dip.

1,545 applications were made for environmental licenses in Scotland which would have amounted to £343,000. Meanwhile the licenses for disposing of Sheep dip would have amounted to a further £160,000.

10-point plan in action.

The move to waive the fees has come as part of SEPA’s 10-point plan which they are hoping will help stimulate the economy, according to the environment minister Roseanna Cunningham who claims that Scotland is “well positioned for recovery”.

“This Government is doing all in its power to take action to stimulate growth, ease the burden faced by business and ensure our economy is well-positioned for recovery,” announced Cunningham.

“By waiving the fees Sepa charges its customers, the majority of them rural businesses, we are supporting the farming, fishing, forestry and food industries that are the lifeblood of the rural economy and our rural communities.

“By the end of this financial year thousands of businesses will have saved money - money which will then be invested elsewhere and which will strengthen the economy as a whole.”

Cunningham pushes recycling to save the pennies.

Cunningham has also been heard recently pushing small firms in Scotland to focus more on recycling which she claims will save costs when it comes to disposing of waste.

However, Cunningham’s requests to get firms to start recycling more is fitting as the country’s annual recycling and composting rate has increased by 0.7 per cent to 33 per cent.

Furthermore SEPA also mentioned how the figures showed that the rate for the second quarter of 2008/09 actually rose to 36 per cent.

Recycling is the way forward…

The stronger focus on recycling is being seen as a great move by the environment secretary, Richard Lochhead, who has highlighted the importance of recycling.

“I am very pleased to see that a number of local authorities are heading in the right direction on our journey to becoming a zero waste society and setting a good example for others to follow,” said Lochhead.

“While the improvement in recycling performance is welcome, much more needs to be done. The Scottish government has set an ambitious target of recycling 70% of municipal waste by 2025.”

SEPA saving money for small firms in Scotland…

Meanwhile, SEPA’s 10 point plan is being hailed as a success which SEPA’s director of environmental protection and improvement, Colin Bayes, has said is managing to put money back into the pockets of the small firms around Scotland.

“Our application fee waiver scheme is helping to put thousands of pounds back into the pockets of Scottish businesses and our clean up campaigns are addressing many of the environmental concerns raised by local communities,” said Bayes.

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