Welcome to The Network News

Welcome to the latest edition of Network News. This edition focuses on the emerging issue of how Scotland deals with business waste - something on which the FSB has been campaigning for some time.

The Federation of Small Businesses is Scotland’s largest business organisation, representing the interests of around 18,000 members across the country. With pressure on landfill and new waste regulations pushing up disposal costs, waste costs for businesses are set to spiral over the next few years if alternative disposal and re-processing facilities are not set up. Indeed, SEPA has estimated that waste processing costs for businesses are likely to rise by 400 to 800 per cent in the medium term due to the pressure on landfill space.

In our experience most small businesses would love to recycle, but there just isn’t an adequate network of affordable facilities in so much of the country.  This was confirmed by a recent survey carried out with FSB members in Scotland which sought to gather more data on the types of waste produced by small businesses, how the waste is disposed of and how much it costs. The results of this survey have been shared with both SEPA and the Scottish Executive and the FSB continues to work closely with both these and other organisations to develop solutions to help small businesses cope with rising waste costs.

This month’s edition of the Network offers a range of useful pieces of information about business waste projects as well as personal views on the barriers to businesses reducing, reusing or recycling waste and possible solutions to overcoming these barriers. Anna Graham, Project Officer for Commercial and Industrial Waste with Fife Council, sets out her thoughts on the challenges facing policy makers based on her experience of working with businesses in Fife.

Local areas are increasingly focusing on their response to business waste and the FSB has welcomed the formation of business waste sub-groups within area waste committees, or within individual local authority areas. Many of these groups have only recently been established, so the local network section is well worth a read to see what the latest developments are in your area.

The 2005 SME-nvironment survey by NetRegs provides further context to the environmental awareness of small businesses. With around 1,300 responses from Scottish businesses this survey is a must-read for anyone who works with small businesses on environmental issues. An excellent summary of the survey featured in this edition highlights that 42% of Scottish businesses have acted to reduce their environmental impact, yet only 14% were able to name a piece of environmental legislation. Overall the survey shows gradual improvement in the environmental awareness of small businesses but it is clearly important to maintain efforts to help signpost small businesses to sources of help and advice, such as NetRegs. 

Lastly and perhaps most importantly, if you have any comments about how business waste is managed, now is your chance! The Scottish Executive is currently carrying out a broad consultation asking for any comments about the problems for businesses (and the public sector) managing their waste (particularly barriers to recycling). The responses to this consultation will help to shape the national business waste strategy so please take a moment to look at the details of the consultation and consider how you can respond.

No one person or agency holds the key to solving ‘the waste problem’, so business and government (at all levels) must keep up the current dialogue if Scotland is to rise to the waste challenge.


Susan Love
Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland