Northern has announced plans to recycle its staff’s old uniforms.

As part of a renewed push for sustainability, the operator will regularly collect uniform items that staff no longer need from depots and train crew centres. It will then shred the items and use them in one of three ways.

• Pure fibre structured material will be used to create new clothes.
• Some will be used in the manufacture of new products, such as insulation, sound boards and partition walls.
• Any items not suitable for either of these options will be incinerated to create energy as an alternative to landfill.

Northern employs nearly seven thousand workers, many of whom wear uniform at work. As a result, Northern has tens of thousands of uniform and workwear items in use by workers at any one time. In active and demanding jobs, wear and tear is significant and items need replacing regularly.

Where a uniform item includes the Northern logo, the company has to dispose of it safely, so it does not fall into the hands of people who might use it to impersonate railway workers in order to gain access to railway premises.

Mike Roe, safety and environment director at Northern, said, “We already recycle 70% of our waste, but we’re on a mission to get that to 74% by 2026.

“Uniforms are something we have in abundance and through natural wear and tear and turnover of staff we regularly have to order-in fresh supplies.

“By ensuring old items are being recycled rather than ending up in general waste we can reduce our environmental impact and support other businesses that are looking to source greener components for their products.”

Elliott Day, senior executive at Avena, said, “As a business we’re delighted to start working with Northern to help them achieve a complete secure solution for end-of-life uniform & workwear.

“At Avena we have implemented lockable units across multiple Northern locations so their staff are able to utilise the secure recycling facilities at the site most convenient to them.

“The old uniforms and workwear will be recycled in the most effective way possible which guarantees full landfill avoidance whilst assisting Northern with their environmental targets.”