Avanti West Coast has recycled material weighing as much as one of its iconic Pendolino trains in just one year of focused activity.
The train company said it had sorted through 494 tonnes of metal, paper, glass, plastic and other refuse since introducing waste segregation officers at its stations 12 months ago.
Delivered in partnership with waste management company SWRnewstar, the initiative has seen more than half of discarded items reprocessed into raw materials.
The segregation officer role was first introduced at Crewe station for a trial that saw recycling rates soar from 20 to nearly 60 per cent, before the job was created at Birmingham International, Carlisle and Stafford.
Staff in these positions are responsible for separating waste from customer bins, staff areas and tenant premises to ensure it is properly sorted for collection.
Segregation officer roles are earmarked for three more stations by March 2025.
Melanie Hockenhull, head of sustainability at Avanti West Coast, said: “Working with SWRnewstar to have waste segregation officers in place at our stations is the most impactful way we can improve our recycling rates.
“We’re already seeing great results from their work – with more waste items being transformed into raw materials. We want to build on this by introducing this role at more locations, so we can maximise the recovery of recyclable items and continue to drive sustainability improvements across the west coast.”
