Network Rail has announced that they have launched a new initiative that will help passengers shop more suitably.

To mark UN World Environment Day, Network Rail has introduced a scheme which will highlight greener retailers to passengers.

This follows Network Rail’s commitments in 2018 to:

• Ban retailers from supplying plastic cutlery and cups in managed stations by the end of 2020
• Implement a coffee cup recycling scheme for managed stations by the end of 2020
• Expand the roll out of coffee ground recycling to all managed stations by the end of 2020

Just one year on and half of all managed station retailers have stopped supplying plastic cups and cutlery and 74% of Network Rail’s managed stations now recycle coffee grounds.

While trials are underway to find a suitable system for recycling coffee cups, the organisation is achieving a 73% average recycling rate in their managed stations, with 99% of waste diverted from landfill.

Seal of approval sustainability stickers will be rolled out across Network Rail’s managed stations from today.

What did the officials say?

Andrew Haines, chief executive of Network Rail, said:

“We are committed to making stations greener and as part of that commitment, we want to be transparent about sustainable practices in our stations.

“We have put passengers and their values at the heart of this new scheme and hope that the seal of approval will go some way to making it easier for them to shop sustainably in our stations.”

David Biggs, managing director, Network Rail Property, added:

“We know that our passengers are increasingly environmentally conscious, and we will continue to work with retailers to make further progress on our commitments.

“Many retailers are already on track to meet our commitments ahead of the 2020 deadline, so passengers should start to see a real reduction in the amount of single use plastic in their stations over the coming months.”

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