TransPennine Express passengers test out their recycling knowledge ahead of National Recycling Week
SUEZ, in partnership with TransPennine Express, ran a series of roadshows across key stations in Scarborough, Hull, Cleethorpes, Middlesbrough and Manchester Airport, giving passengers the chance to win free train tickets based on their recycling know how in an effort to influence passenger behaviour when it comes to recycling.
SUEZ provides waste and recycling services for more than 60% of the train operating companies in the UK, including more than 600 stations across the UK on behalf of TransPennine Express (TPE), Northern, Southeastern and LNER.
During the mobilisation of the contract, which began in July 2025, site audits were completed at 99% of the locations to ensure a smooth roll out of the new service and to help identify potential improvements.
TPE have since deployed new bins across its stations which are matched within staff facilities for consistent messaging, colour coded and featuring imagery to help people to segregate their waste properly. The focus has now shifted to awareness raising through station tannoy announcements and interactive roadshows in an effort to educate passengers and increase recycling rates.
Steve Gilder, Environment Delivery Lead for TPE, said: "These events are really important in driving behaviour change to increase recycling rates. We’ve already worked on the signage and colour coding of the bins to make it as easy as possible for passengers and staff alike, so our focus now is on helping to educate people about the importance of segregating their waste and events such as our Recycling Roadshows prove to be a really engaging way of doing that."
Ahead of National Recycling Week, staff from SUEZ and TPE joined forces to deliver an interactive recycling game which challenges passengers to identify the right bin for 25 beanbags representing items from pizza boxes to apple cores and some tricky items like batteries. Those who scored highly within a 2-minute period won free rail tickets from TPE with other goodies for taking part including a free hot drink for their travels.
Eve, who won free train tickets at Manchester Airport’s rail station, said that she found the game enlightening: "I didn’t realise that you shouldn’t put pizza boxes in with cardboard. It’s easy to think you don’t make a difference individually with your recycling, but this makes you realise that you really can!"
The roadshows followed a similar activity with staff at Northern’s Newcastle depot earlier this year which proved popular!
Alex Fay, Energy and Environment Assurance Manager at Northern, said: "The introduction of new waste hubs in our colleague areas, with food waste now added as an additional waste stream, gave a great opportunity to re-engage our staff about recycling!"
Vicky Walshaw, Key Account Manager at SUEZ, said: "A key challenge for us is influencing what people put in which bin and we’ve worked in partnership to now make this as simple as possible. The roadshow events were delivered at some of the busier TPE train station to help to raise awareness, with the sorting game always proving a hit with travellers, families and staff alike, and I saw firsthand the effect it had on people stopping to make sure they were using the right bins!"
And the measures to raise recycling rates don’t stop there. Working in partnership, options are being explored to recycle brake pads from the trains alongside re-use initiatives for items such as staff PPE.