Northern Rail reduces waste with recycling programme for staff working clothing
Many of the items feature the company logo and therefore have to be disposed of securely to avoid the possibility of items being used to impersonate rail workers and gain access to restricted areas.
As part of the new recycling drive, ‘end of life’ uniforms have been collected from 25 depots and train crew centres across the network over the last year. They are taken away and shredded by Avena, a specialist in brand security through processes including textile shredding, clothing destruction and textile recycling.
In that time, over 10,000kg of old uniforms have been recycled, saving over 4,000kg of carbon emissions between May 2023 and April 2024.
According to Mike Roe, safety and environment director at Northern, uniforms are something the company has in abundance and through natural wear and tear and turnover of staff, fresh supplies need to be regularly ordered.
“Knowing that we’ve sent over ten tonnes of material for recycling through this initiative is something Northern can be proud of,” he concludes.
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