Sea-Tac Airport Doubles Its Recycling Tonnage in Just 6 Months

Recycling program saves $60,000, reduces waste sent to landfills

(Seattle)--Just six months after embarking on a new effort to recycle, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport doubled its recycling tonnage, and reduced the amount of waste sent to landfills by nearly half. The airport kicked off its recycling program in July, and monthly results have been nothing short of dramatic.

Recycling amounts went from 8.6 tons in July to more than 20 tons by September and continued to grow through the rest of 2001. Airport waste sent to landfills dropped from 518 tons to 323 tons during the same period. It's estimated the reduction in garbage has to date saved the airport $80,000 in landfill fees.

"We were doing a good job of recycling prior to July," said Gina Marie Lindsey, Managing Director of Aviation for the Port of Seattle. "But we found a number of little things we could change that really added up."

"We're committed to being the best steward of the environment that we can be," Lindsey added.

The single biggest improvement came in recycling by travelers. Additional containers were put in the terminal, but more importantly they are being redesigned to be more visible. The result is that public recycling is up by 40 percent.

The Port, which owns and operates the airport, has also pressed tenant airlines and concessionaires to increase their recycling, with similar results.

The airport's next step is to increase the purchase of recycled materials. Not only does that save money, it also creates markets for recycled products. For example, most airport offices already use recycled copier paper.

"We can't forget the word 'cycle' in 'recycle,'" said Doug Holbrook, the airport's utilities manager. "Sending recyclable waste out the back door is only half the job. We have to complete the cycle by bringing in products made from recycled materials."