The waste we produce impacts on the environment through natural resource consumption, odour, pollution and noise. Getting rid of waste to landfill also creates unnecessary emissions.
To combat this we tackle waste head on by minimising the amount of waste we send to landfill. We do this by reducing the amount of waste we produce, re-using equipment and recycling as much as possible.
Recycling
To tackle the high volumes of free-sheet newspapers left on our trains we try to recycle as many as possible. We currently recycle around 68 tonnes of old newspapers each month, and also send waste from our London operations to a ‘waste to energy’ plant where it is used to generate electricity.
Last March we teamed up with Metro, Glasdon UK and Aylesford Newsprint to introduce an on-platform recycling system at Ashford International station. Paper placed in these bins is combined with paper waste from our offices at Ashford and recycled, helpful avoid the release of 687kg of harmful emissions for every tonne recovered.
We also introduced a recycling scheme at our office in Central London, helping recycle 60 per cent of waste. We’re looking to extend this scheme to our other offices.
Special waste
A small proportion of our waste is made up of “special waste” – either hazardous materials or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) – for which particular disposal and reporting arrangements apply. We work continuously to improve our arrangements for dealing with this waste, and to centralise and make more transparent our records of disposal.
We also provide our employees with the tools they need to make a difference. We published a simple guide, our Waste Manual, which contains hints and tips and also the contact details they need to dispose of waste responsibly.
Objectives -
- Implement a formal waste management hierarchy across Southeastern.
- Reduce the amount of waste we produce.
- Offer recycling facilities to more locations.
- Increase employee awareness of and engagement with waste reduction and recycling schemes.
