Queenstown Airport in New Zealand has introduced three CarbonCycle compost bins to turn food waste from the staff kitchens and the food and beverage outlets in the terminal into compost. The compost will then be used in the airport’s gardens and donated to the Whakatipu Reforestation Trust.
Part of the airport’s wider waste minimization plan, the CarbonCycle compost system is modular enabling capacity to be added over time. It is also designed to ensure the pile gets hot, to breakdown material better, and has removable side slats so the pile is easy to turn.
Sara Irvine, general manager community and corporate affairs, said, “The initiative is just one of the actions we are taking collectively at Queenstown Airport to reduce waste across the airport campus. Organic food matter is known to be one of the biggest producers of landfill gases, so this is a solution that supports our journey to carbon zero. We want to make sure we’ve got the system right and working well starting with compostable waste in the terminal. We are aiming to involve all businesses across the airport campus over time.”
Hamad International Airport
Hamad International Airport (HIA) in Doha has also announced that it will use organic compost generated from green waste as fertilizer for landscaping. It is estimated that the initiative will generate nearly 4,000 tons of organic compost on an annual basis, reducing the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers.
This initiative is in line with HIA’s memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Municipality, to modernize and enhance the airport’s waste management process. Working alongside the Municipality, HIA aims to achieve sustainable development of its waste treatment and recycling, which includes waste sorting from the source point, to ultimately eliminate any of its waste ending up in landfill.
Michael McMillan, vice president facilities management at HIA, said, “Throughout our young history, we have continued to showcase our commitment to environmental sustainability – from improving carbon efficiency to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and managing wastewater – sustainability has proudly been at the forefront of what we do since our inception. As a strong contender for Skytrax World’s Best Airport 2022, this initiative is another milestone toward achieving our targets and cementing our place as leaders behind environmental sustainability in the aviation industry.”
