COMPANIES are to receive funding of up to £150,000 to reuse and recycle usable items destined for landfill sites.

The cash pot, administered by Zero Waste Scotland, will offer firms grants for the re-use and repair of such items as furniture, computers and white goods.

The grants could rise to £250,000 for large schemes with council involvement.

The fund launch coincides with the publication of a report which says the economic potential of the sector could make it a win-win for Scotland, helping protect the environment by extending the life of con-sumer goods, but also providing jobs and training.

However, collaboration across the private, public and third sector was described as essential.

Thousands of re-usable items are sent to landfill every year, including 12,800 tonnes of sofas and 9,800 tonnes of washing machines.

Currently, 17 per cent of all sofas (84,000) in Scotland are re-used, generating £1.5 million in sales and jobs, and saving 4,500 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Iain Gulland, chief executive of Zero Waste Scotland, said: "A thriving re-use and repair sector has to be a major part of the Scottish economy in the future, as global pressure on resources increase."