Waste company has saved 6,600 tonnes of CO2 by switching to rail

Biffa, the UK’s leading sustainable waste management company has saved over 6,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions by switching to rail. 

In 2017 – 2018 rail links were created in Manchester and Leeds to allow waste to be transported to Biffa’s landfill facility in Roxby, near Scunthorpe.

Since January 2019, Biffa has used rail to replace over 11 million kilometres in tipper truck journeys.

Following the environmental success of switching to rail, Biffa has now extended their target, they hope to get 50% of their input to landfill by rail by 2025.

Fuel usage currently accounts for 15% of Biffa’s carbon footprint, included within this is approximately 90,000 tonnes of CO2 from the use of diesel alone.

The company has said they are committed to continually reducing this impact by curbing emissions produced from its vehicles and consequently helping to improve air quality in towns and cities.

Mick Davis, the chief operating officer for Resources and Energy at Biffa, said: ‘Reducing our emissions has been a fundamental part of our business strategy over the past years and we are continually evaluating how to sustainably optimise our operations.

‘This achievement is a small but important step towards meeting the ambitious targets set out in our new sustainability strategy which targets transporting 50% of our waste to landfill sites by rail by 2025.

‘We’re looking forward to the results with upcoming rail links and the overall aim to tackle climate change in the UK.’

John Smith, Managing Director at GB Railfreight added: ‘We are delighted to be Biffa’s partner in supporting them to reduce their carbon emissions. We look forward to continuing to develop further rail solutions with them to achieve their target of delivering 50% of waste on rail.’

Photo Credit – Pixabay