---
title: "Future Labs Challenge Brief: Waste Sorting and Segmentation"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-055d46"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-055d46"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-055d46.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-055d46.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "LONDON NORTH EASTERN RAILWAY LIMITED"
published: "2025-07-11"
---

# Future Labs Challenge Brief: Waste Sorting and Segmentation

Buyer: LONDON NORTH EASTERN RAILWAY LIMITED  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-055d46

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## Summary

LONDON NORTH EASTERN RAILWAY LIMITED is inviting input for its upcoming procurement project, titled "Future Labs Challenge Brief: Waste Sorting and Segmentation". Operating within the public undertaking industry category, this initiative is focused on enhancing waste sorting and management processes at railway stations, particularly those in high-traffic areas such as Manchester Piccadilly and London Kings Cross. The process, currently in the planning stage, requires initial responses by 22nd July 2025, to a preliminary market engagement questionnaire. The project spans across the United Kingdom and targets a contract period from 15th September 2025 to 17th November 2025. As a utility service procurement, this presents an opportunity for innovative service providers to contribute solutions that optimise environmental performance while adhering to existing regulations.

This procurement presents substantial growth opportunities for businesses specialising in waste management solutions, automation, environmental technologies, and educational initiatives aimed at improving recycling practices. SMEs and VCSEs are particularly encouraged to participate, indicating a suitability preference for smaller and voluntary sector enterprises. This tender is ideal for companies that can develop scalable and compliant solutions to address the challenges of waste segregation and processing efficiency within the constraints of onboard space and security considerations. By participating, businesses can establish a foothold in the public utilities sector, offering solutions that align with sustainability goals and the enhancement of customer experience standards.

## Notice

The Problem: DTFO train operators deliver over 300 million passenger journeys annually. Those customers and our colleagues produce waste; across our managed stations we process more than 500 tonnes every 4 weeks. Some of our stations have sorting hubs where waste is manually separated to extract food and recyclables, helping to improve waste segmentation on our networks, and we are looking at scaling this out to other stations too. However, this is a time-consuming and resource intensive activity.A lot of our trains arrive and depart from terminus stations, such as Manchester Piccadilly, or London Kings Cross. Removing the waste from the trains can be a time-consuming process that potentially leads to delays boarding passengers, or passengers boarding dirty trains, both of which impact the experience they have. In 2025, a new timetable will be implemented on the East Coast Mainline, introducing more trains than ever before, meaning more passengers and more waste. We therefore need a better way of collecting, sorting and managing our waste. Space is limited on board our trains, and although waste bins are located throughout, these are required to be frequently emptied with only a finite amount of waste able to be stored onboard ahead of arriving at a station where they can then be removed.Cleanliness and how we manage waste is a key driver of customer experience satisfaction. It is therefore important that we maintain and continuously look for ways to improve the efficiency of our waste management. The Challenge: How might we: Increase the amount of waste we sort at our stations making it a quicker and more efficient process? Automate waste sorting in stations to increase efficiency and accuracy of waste sorting? Store more waste onboard a train to allow for quicker removal and cleaning of services? Enable waste sorting on trains so that it removes the need to sort in station? Influence customer behaviour to sort their own waste to reduce cross-contamination of different waste types? Educate colleagues and customers so they know whether their waste is recyclable and which bin to put it in? Constraints: What the solution must work within Onboard solutions must exist within onboard space and regulations Public-facing bins within stations are subject to strict security requirements Solutions must comply with simpler recycling legislation

### Planning Information

Please respond to the questionnaire at https://forms.office.com/e/iPCttfkFX0

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039108-2025 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 11 Jul 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 22 Jul 2025 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 14 Sep 2025 - 17 Nov 2025 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planning |
| Lots status | Planning |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | LONDON NORTH EASTERN RAILWAY LIMITED |
| Additional buyers | NORTHERN TRAINS LIMITED; TRANSPENNINE TRAINS LIMITED |
| Locality | YORK |
| Post town | York |
| Postcode | YO1 6GA |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD3 Greater Manchester |
| ITL 3 | TLD33 Manchester |
| Local authority | Manchester |
| Electoral ward | Piccadilly |
| Westminster constituency | Manchester Central |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services

### Codes

- 90500000 - Refuse and waste related services

## Release History

- 11 Jul 2025 at 07:51 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039108-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039108-2025
  11th July 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://forms.office.com/e/iPCttfkFX0
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-055d46. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-055d46.json.