THE work being done a rail company to minimise its environmental impact has been praised.

The Green Apple awards have recognised the work that South Western Railway (SWR), in collaboration with its waste broker SWRnewstar is doing to minimise its environmental impact with SWR receiving a gold award in the Environmental Excellence category.

Last year alone, SWR customers, staff and operations generated over 5,000 tonnes of waste – equivalent to almost 400 double decker buses.

Over the past 12 months, SWR has increased its recycling to 78 per cent overall, diverted all of its other waste to generate energy, and arranged for old uniforms to be reused or donated to charities, and has plans to roll out water fountains across more stations.

Commenting on the award, Amelia Woodley, SWR’s head of sustainability said:“It’s a fantastic achievement to win a Green Apple award. We have challenging recycling targets to meet and have worked closely with SWRnewstar to explore every opportunity to reduce our waste and maximise our recycling. Our station and depot teams support and dedication have been a key part of our success."