Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall is a top recycling airport, according to a recent report from the Natural Resources Defense Council.
BWI was one of six airports cited in the group’s findings for having a top recycling program. BWI recycles about 27 percent (or 700 tons) of its waste per month, which saves the facility $15,000 a month in fees paid to area landfills. The Seattle-Tacoma airport saved the most money by recycling — $180,000 a month according to the report.
“Once airport managers start adding up the numbers, opportunities start becoming apparent pretty quickly,” said Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist for the nonprofit NRDC. “The good news is that smart people in the aviation business have figured this out. Their savings are going right to the bottom line, instead of to the local landfill.”
Airports collect the trash from incoming flights and are responsible for disposing of it, along with all the waste generated by passengers and workers on site.
At BWI, the airlines, eateries and stores are encouraged to separate their trash for recycling before airport personnel collect it. The airport has installed 43 recycling centers around the facility for passengers to deposit cans, newspapers and glass and plastic bottles.
“The key to the success has been the cooperation by the airport tenants,” said BWI spokesman Jonathan Dean. “It is not just a function of new technology. It is about communicating the importance of the program to the airport tenants, and they have responded.”
BWI’s recycling efforts keep it in compliance with a recent Maryland law requiring state agencies to recycle at least 20 percent of their waste. Dean said the airport has more than tripled its recycling rate since 2003.
Tara Hamilton, a spokeswoman for the authority that runs Dulles International and Reagan National airports, said those facilities recycle less material than BWI. Dulles and Reagan recycle materials such as motor oil and office paper. The airports do not have an in-terminal recycling program for passengers, however. “Our recycling in mostly done in our offices,” Hamilton said.
Airport trash statistics
» The airline industry discarded enough newspapers and magazines in 2004 to build a 230-foot-high pile on a football field.
» Airlines dispose of enough aluminum cans each year to build 58 new 747 planes.
» U.S. airports generated 425,000 tons of waste in 2004, the last year for which data is available. The figure is expected to increase nearly 45 percent by 2015.
» Each passenger generates 1.3 pounds of trash when visiting an airport.
Source: Natural Resources Defense Council
