One of the country’s largest airports is doing everything it can to reduce the industry’s environmental impact.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, named the nation’s best facility by the World Airport Awards for three years in a row, began requiring its food service providers to offer only reusable or approved compostable goods and packaging last month, Packaging Strategies reported.
The change is designed to help the airport keep 60% of its final waste out of landfills, the paper said. This includes restaurants, to-go restaurants, lounges and catering companies, which must stock compliant cutlery, cups and bowls. Last year, SEA kept 48% of its waste out of landfills.
“This transition will help us achieve that goal even faster,” said Ryan Calkins, commissioner of the Port of Seattle, which operates the airport. “Reusable and compostable products support local efforts to collect organic waste, reduce single-use plastics and improve the quality of our recycling at SEA, all while providing our customers with an elevated dining experience.”
Similar rules were introduced in 2017, and this update excludes the use of plastic and plastic-lined items. According to Packaging Strategies, this means more food waste will be composted, food-contaminated products will go to the right places, and travelers will be able to sort through items more easily. In 2023, SEA sent 1,394 tons of waste to its compost facility.
Cedar Grove Composting in nearby Maple Valley processes the waste into soil, and then SEA purchases the soil for use in landscaping and construction projects. The independent Compost Manufacturing Alliance certifies the food companies’ products, guaranteeing that the plant-based products are toxin-free and compostable.
“It’s important that we all do our part and be conscious of where we source our food and the packaging we use, because this affects all of us,” said Max Heigh, founder of Sam Choy’s Poke to the Max, one of the SEA restaurants that met the new standards ahead of schedule. “We believe it’s our responsibility to do as much as we can to look after future generations.”
Such environmentally friendly ventures are necessary to reduce the overheating of the planet caused by the use of dirty energy.
Plastics made from petroleum also contribute to pollution and overuse of landfills, which release powerful heat-trapping gases such as methane and carbon dioxide and are responsible for nearly 10% of global pollution, according to Sustainability for All.
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