Airport Waste Management: The Ultimate Guide
Are you wondering about Sustainable Airport Waste Management Costs? In the UK, One of the UK’s busiest airports, Gatwick, has been working towards being the most sustainable airport in the world. It is now diverting 49% of its waste to recycling and aims to achieve 85% by 2020. These efforts align with the European Parliament’s circular economy package.
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Common airport waste bins
240-litre wheelie bins
1100 litre wheelie bins
Use for just food waste or glass recycling, or general waste and other recyclables.
Store large amounts of general waste, dry mixed recycling, and more.
Sanitary bins are a legal requirement in airport bathrooms.
Gatwick airport’s new waste-to-energy facility
How vital is Sustainable Airport Waste Management? The new waste-to-energy facility at Gatwick Airport will be a world first. Rather than burning trash, it will turn the waste into fuel for the airport’s biomass boiler. This will save the airport nearly £1,240 per day in energy and waste management costs. The facility is owned and operated by DHL Supply Chain, responsible for managing inbound deliveries at Gatwick.
The company is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 . It also aims to be a leader in green logistics by expanding its range of products and services. The facility’s operation will cut the number of truck trips to external waste facilities, reducing vehicle emissions, noise and traffic congestion. The water used to clean the airport’s waste bins is also recycled. This helps save around 2 million litres of water each year. The biomass boiler is expected to start operation in September.
Currently, airports must send Category 1 waste off-site for processing. This adds a lot of logistical complexity, as well as cost. Gatwick has decided to open a waste-to-energy facility on its property to avoid these additional expenses. These facilities can process over 5,200 tonnes of waste per year. This will make Gatwick Airport one of the greenest airports in the world.
Heathrow’s Materials Recovery Facility
Heathrow will trial turning unrecyclable plastic passenger waste into airport furniture, uniforms, and lower-emission jet fuel. The facility is a part of a broader effort to reduce waste at the airport and improve the environment. Heathrow aims to have commercial units operational by 2025.
The facility will collect CAT3 waste from the airport and process it. Recyclable waste will be diverted along a conveyor belt for resource recovery, while non-recyclable waste will be processed into biomass fuel. The facility will also include a drying process where the organic waste will be dehydrated at high temperatures and converted into granular biomass fuel.
The government’s third runway plans will require the facility to relocate. It’s located at the site of the Lakeside Energy from Waste facility, a joint venture between Grundon Waste Management and Viridor. Grundon will also look for another location for its waste management and recycling facilities. Heathrow will work with Grundon to find the most suitable location for the facility.
Waste management is costly, making using an MRF a crucial aspect. Heathrow, the largest airport in the world, generates around 110,000 tonnes of waste each year. The airport manages around a quarter of this waste, while most of the remainder is handled by other airport companies.
Manchester Airport Group’s waste management system
The Manchester Airport Group is one of the largest airport operators in the UK. It owns and operates four major airports, including:
Manchester Airport,
Stansted Airport,
East Midlands Airport,
Bournemouth Airport, and
Southampton Airport.
The company has announced that after 2018 it will eliminate landfill from its operations. While this plan will only partially succeed, the group has successfully diverted waste from landfills.
In 2015, the company diverted 83% of its waste from landfill. Additionally, Stansted Airport managed to recover 99% of the waste. Managing space, waste, and operations is a crucial part of the job at Manchester Airport. The business must run efficiently and remain open to customers around the clock. Management established a planning team to identify and address critical challenges through technology to achieve this. With a mission to ensure a positive customer journey, MAG needed a solution to address all aspects of its operations.
As part of its sustainability plans, the airports have installed advanced technology to reduce their carbon footprint. For example, Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport is outfitted with LED ceiling lights and has achieved carbon neutrality. These technologies can meet the required lighting levels while saving 60 per cent of energy.
LED lighting is also being installed at East Midlands Airport, which is undergoing a £12 million redevelopment. The airport is located on 1,544 acres and serves approximately 22.7 million passengers annually. It also handles about 151,000 tons of freight annually. Ultimately, the airport is a green and sustainable enterprise, employing 19700 people across 310 companies. And it is positioned to serve 50 million passengers within 30 years.
Airport Waste – Learn more about UK business waste statistics here
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