How the Rail Environment Forum is improving waste management in rail
A reason for the creation of the Rail Environment Forum (REF), a committee facilitated by RSSB, was to help organisations within rail work towards making the industry even more sustainable. One of the themes the group is focusing on is waste management and the circular economy.
During a recent event, The Green Block (a waste segregation company) demonstrated to REF how they have improved recycling at London Victoria station from 12% to 92% since 2020. The aim of this event was to show how RSSB, and industry partners can work together on waste management initiatives.
Recycling rates have improved from 12% to 92% since 2020 at one London station. The Rail Environment Forum carried out a site visit to understand how industry partners can make improvements in waste management initiatives and reduce our collective environmental impact.
#wastereduction
The Green Block's waste segregation model has been proven successful in increasing recycling rates at London Victoria Station. Through their efforts, the station has seen an 80% improvement in its recycling rate since 2020. This success can be attributed to a simple process, underpinned by technology, where data is captured on the waste, staff manually segregate the waste into valuable reused streams such as cardboard, plastics, cans and even organic materials like food waste. All these materials are then expertly passed onto different processing companies who take the recycled materials and re-purpose it. The waste products even generate an income as the segregated components are valuable materials for re-use and creates a railway that uses resources efficiently and supports a collaborative circular economy.
These measures have gone a long way towards improving recycling rates at London Victoria Station, but there is still more work to be done if we are going to achieve sustainability goals across the entire industry. For instance, REF members from train operators and suppliers are exploring how sustainable solutions can be further adopted. Waste segregation and recycling helps to reduce the cost of waste disposal, is cost effective, improves sustainability and benefits the environment and economy. It also evidences sustainability action in tenders and pre-qualification questionnaires for future work winning.
Overall, events like those hosted by The Green Block serve as important reminders of the opportunities for sustainability within the railway industry. Fortunately, groups like REF exist specifically for stakeholders from all parts of the industry to come together and share ideas about improving practices and reducing environmental impact.
In short, through collaboration between everyone involved in railway operations—from train operators to supply chain—we will be able achieve great things when it comes making our railways greener and cleaner than ever before!
A huge thanks to The Green Block for hosting the event and sharing a success story at London Victoria station, as well as to the members of the Rail Environment Forum who supported and attended.
