South Western Railway celebrates successful ‘Sustainability Week’

South Western Railway (SWR) launched its first ever ‘Sustainability Week’ (Monday 30 April – Friday 4 May) to highlight its commitment to reduce waste and increase recycling across the network. 

• SWR already recycles 67% of its waste
• Ambitious plans to increase recycling rates further
• Zero waste to landfill target by 2020
• Lost Property department donated more than 4,000 pairs of spectacles to Vision Aid Overseas last year 
• Environmental and energy audits took place at stations across the network as part of Sustainability Week 
• Team tidy-ups at stations as well as Community Rail Partnership work on gardens and green spaces

The first ever ‘Sustainability Week’ took place on the South Western Railway network last week to showcase environmental success stories since the franchise started and promote exciting plans for the future.

The SWR sustainability team has already introduced food and coffee recycling facilities at 15 stations, part of a target of achieving zero waste to landfill by 2020. In January 2018, SWR recycled 67% of its waste which compares to the UK household average of 45% (according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). An ambitious target has now been set to increase recycling rates by more than 80% over the next twelve months.

SWR celebrated Sustainability Week with a number of hands-on activities, including:

• Environmental and energy audits at Richmond, Basingstoke, Salisbury and Southampton stations
• Tidy-ups at Basingstoke and Isleworth stations to help improve the local environment
• Pruning and managing vegetation at Basingstoke, West Byfleet and Windsor and Eton Riverside stations 
• Working with Community Rail Partnerships work to spruce up the gardens at Woolston’s disused rail signal box and Brentford station’s embankment

Amelia Woodley, Head of Sustainability for South Western Railway, said: 

“I’m delighted with how our action-packed Sustainability Week went. It was great to get out and about the network to promote the positive work we’re doing and to encourage our staff and customers to get involved where possible.

We’ve already run a number of sustainability workshops with our new leadership teams here at SWR to work out our priorities for the year ahead and throughout our franchise. We have a great opportunity to lead the way in sustainability in the transport sector and are determined to make changes that will reduce our carbon footprint.”