Avanti West Coast Sees Huge Increase in Recycling Rate Following New Initiative

After adding segregation officers at its stations, Avanti West Coast has revealed that it has diverted nearly 500 tonnes of recyclables over a year.

Avanti West Coast, a British train operating company, deployed segregation officers at its stations last year who separate waste from bins and ensure materials are sorted for recycling. In 12 months, segregation officers sorted out 494 tonnes of materials disposed of at four train stations. Those materials include metal, paper, glass, and plastic.

This move is part of Avanti West Coast’s sustainability strategy, attempting to maximize the amount of materials being recycled. A successful trial of this program saw recycling rates increase from 20 percent to nearly 60 percent.

“We’re committed to reducing our impact on the environment and recycling is a key activity to help achieve this,” said Melanie Hockenhull, Head of Sustainability at Avanti West Coast.

“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 better maximize the recovery of recyclable items and continue to drive sustainability improvements across the west coast.”

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