This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Environmental awards for students
02/09/2005
Students taking part in an environmental programme have identified savings to Scottish businesses of over a million pounds.
Projects undertaken by 60 university students, through the Scottish Environmental Placement Programme, were being judged today by the Deputy Environment Minister Rhona Brankin.
The programme involves students working with business to identify ways in which they can save money by reducing the waste they produce.
Ms Brankin said today:
"This project highlights the significant savings that can be made by using resources more efficiently and minimising waste.
"Through the programme, the students identified 14,628 tonnes of waste which could have been diverted from landfill sites. This would have saved the businesses involved in the programme £1,009,250.
"Non municipal waste accounts for around 75 per cent of the waste generated in Scotland. We are now consulting on a framework for non-municipal waste which can help to create new opportunities, make business more efficient and more profitable."
The placement programme is coordinated by the Business Environmental Partnership (BEP) in conjunction with the Shell Technology Enterprise Programme (STEP). The Executive fund the BEP with around £30,000 a year for the student programme.