National Academies Press: OpenBook

Recovering International Recyclables from In-Flight Service (2020)

Chapter: Chapter 5 Airport Guidelines

« Previous: Chapter 4 Findings
Page 30
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 5 Airport Guidelines." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Recovering International Recyclables from In-Flight Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25813.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 5 Airport Guidelines." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Recovering International Recyclables from In-Flight Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25813.
×
Page 31
Page 32
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 5 Airport Guidelines." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Recovering International Recyclables from In-Flight Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25813.
×
Page 32
Page 33
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 5 Airport Guidelines." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Recovering International Recyclables from In-Flight Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25813.
×
Page 33
Page 34
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 5 Airport Guidelines." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Recovering International Recyclables from In-Flight Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25813.
×
Page 34

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24 CHAPTER 5 – AIRPORT GUIDELINES Airport operators can utilize this guidelines section to understand how to increase NCRM collection and separation within their operations. In the US, processing NCRM may vary due to restrictions placed on waste managers by local CBP officers. Airports can work with stakeholders, including waste providers, catering companies and airlines to recover NCRM. In general, the redesign and selection of materials could also aid in the increased potential of recovery of recyclables from international in-flight service. 5.1 On-Site Processing On-site processing is a method by which separation of NCRM materials occurs on airport grounds and includes short-term storage of non-contaminated recyclables from in-flight service. On-site processing can be instrumental in supporting recovery of NCRM from in-flight service. Coupled with airline support, airport operators can leverage their existing land-based infrastructure to develop advanced collection strategies on-site. Airport operators may require added financial investment which would include new infrastructure for on-site processing, however, these costs could be offset from the sale of recyclables directly to commodity markets. As sustainability becomes more critical for airline customers, airport operators have an opportunity to develop programs for visiting airlines that could collectively benefit the industry. By providing heightened handling, collection and waste management programs for visiting airlines, airport operators could also develop new untapped revenue for their airport. As more airline companies combine their collection efforts and accumulate NCRM, increased throughput efficiency will result; thereby further reducing costs for participants. By building an NCRM recovery program for airlines, airport operators have an added opportunity for an increased volume of collected recyclables, which can provide additional revenue from the sale of these materials. 5.2 Standardization Airports and airlines may share in the responsibility of increasing the diversion of NCRM through standardized materials and handling practices for recovery. For NCRM recovery to occur, harmonizing of waste collection services, the mutual management of waste contracts, and the shared sorting of materials, could advance recovery. Together with the support of waste providers and the pooling of financial and human capital resources, airport operators could play an instrumental role in continuing their support of airlines. Standardizing materials and handling processes between airports and airlines could also streamline airline procurement practices and provide cost and operation efficiencies. By knowing in advance what international airlines would discard, airport operators could be better equipped to handle inbound waste streams. For airport operators to increase NCRM collection, a standardized recycling infrastructure could be useful. Airlines may not have dedicated collection mechanisms in place at all airports. Still, airport operators could begin to offer these types of added services for increased revenue opportunities and environmental stewardship. Together with the collaboration of airline on-board separation, airport operators could play a pivotal role in spearheading NCRM initiatives. Airlines often require added space for the separation of NCRM materials on arrival. Airport operators, therefore, could collaborate with airlines to offer their airport for sorting. This type of support could aid in providing cost and operational efficiencies for the entire industry and could pave the way for a more globally adopted and standardized recovery process.

25 A globally standardized airport-based collection process would allow airlines to know in advance what items can be recovered at destination airports. This process would further prevent in-flight crews from having to change their sorting habits for each airport continually. Without the consistent, standardized support of airports, airlines often elect to avoid separating on-board altogether. In effect, airports across the world could work together to replicate their collection practices, giving airlines greater consistency from airport to airport. Given that waste disposal directly affects the surrounding environment of airports (Li, B., et al. 2018), an opportunity exists for all stakeholders, including AAFKs, to work together. In doing so, QW and NCRM recovery would result in local environmental impact reduction. 5.3 Consistent Handling Practices Neither airport operators nor airlines were found to be solely responsible for recovery. Airlines are responsible for the on-board collection and separation of waste and recyclable materials. Airports also devise and have predetermined handling methods and protocols for their waste streams. Due to different airport collection protocols, inbound airlines often struggle to adhere to these various and ever-changing programs. Conversely, since each airline has its own policy for handling waste, airports often struggle with the complexity of incoming airline waste. Furthermore, airlines are not always in the position to separate waste according to each governmental policy and operations of each destination airport. Airlines, therefore, choose to follow the prescribed quarantining of waste and recycling rather than separate waste. These gaps and inconsistencies at airports are significant factors in the current limits to NCRM recovery, further reducing airline participation. While each airport is well-intentioned in its efforts to devise its sustainability programs, it is precisely these individually unique programs that reduce airline participation in NCRM recovery. Airport inconsistencies, therefore, are key in keeping NCRM and recyclables from being separated, collected, and processed. An opportunity may exist, therefore, to develop a consistent handling practice within the aviation industry. Airport operators, from multiple destinations, could work together to form a standard recovery program, which could result in increased airline adoption. Airlines could then design procurement and collection initiatives in line with this standard, which could also occur alongside legally accepted guidelines of NCRM collection policies. 5.4 Supply Chain and Procurement QW is categorized as such due to being contaminated by food remnants. Many countries accept recyclables that have not been exposed to fluids or food remnants, and therefore will lawfully receive non-contaminated recyclable materials into local recycling streams. Airlines demonstrating successful recovery of NCRM from international flights provide more instruction on separation techniques for their in-flight cabin crews. Often with these advanced techniques, airport operators have opportunities for collecting recyclables that are not contaminated. Packaging that envelopes consumed and unconsumed items eventually becomes QW when mixed with quarantined items. NCRM isolated from quarantined items are generally accepted into recycling streams provided that the packaging is recyclable. Recycling from in-flight service could increase if airlines were to procure items that are both recyclable and have a higher chance of remaining uncontaminated during in- flight service. As airport operators become increasingly aware of airline supply chains, this knowledge could be used to ensure the identification of these materials by the airport after the flight without airline involvement. The understanding of airline supply chains by airports could, therefore, result in successfully increasing the recovery of NCRM on the ground. Additional airport guidelines for operators should include information relating to contamination reduction of NCRM by QW. Often, effort which goes into isolating NCRM onboard is wasted when items are contaminated on the ground by quarantined items. Similarly, if NCRM and QW are collected in the vessel

26 or by the same professional, the risk of contamination could increase. To prevent cross-contamination on the ground, QW and NCRM must stay isolated from each other. Airport operators can provide front-line support using employees who are trained in the identification and sourcing of NCRM. Airport handling practices could be developed in the early stages of implementation of these efforts by the airport operator or even in-flight kitchen staff involved in extracting waste streams from flights. An opportunity may exist to pool resources with industry partners to achieve a more harmonized collection platform. This could be carried out through harmonizing procurement and interdepartmental collaboration and ultimately standardizing collection strategies. 5.5 Policy Adherence An opportunity exists for airport operators to ensure industry stakeholders follow existing policies regarding NCRM and its recovery. Risk assessments can be utilized in conjunction with the assistance of enforcement officers to help airport operators deliver NCRM programs that could be adopted by more airlines. Streamlining and standardizing the recovery process of NCRM by all airport operators could increase airline participation and throughput efficiency. Through the development of more standardized collection across more airports, policymakers could be assured that NCRM programs can succeed in line with their initially intended policy goals. By following policies more closely, airport operators could play an instrumental role in the standardized collection of NCRM. Airport operators could also benefit from the assistance of airline associations, such as IATA, who have historically worked with regulators to ensure policy requirements. This support from IATA, for airports with NCRM recovery programs, would, in turn, ultimately help airlines to achieve their objectives of becoming more sustainable. International airlines, at times, face additional challenges when choosing to divert NCRM. If airport operators can demonstrate clear and concise program delivery, then international airlines may have a more significant opportunity to deliver on NCRM programs. Some international communities, however, are beginning to update policies with a focus on the CE and bans of single-use plastics. These actions demonstrate how policies can stimulate recovery practices. Airlines may then have the legal framework needed to adapt to newer policies for each market or completely revise their packaging, if need be. It may be more economical for airlines to perform a system-wide changeover of supply chains to ensure compliance with airport operations and local recovery laws. 5.6 Waste Collection Partnering with the waste collection industry can be valuable to airport operators because it can provide the necessary supportive strategy for the recovery of NCRM. This supportive strategy can give airport operators the tools, processes, systems, and methods to accomplish waste diversion goals when working to recover NCRM. NCRM recovery requires airport operators to comply with international laws and regulations, and the waste collection industry can offer the necessary support to ensure compliance given their extensive experience and supporting infrastructure. Often AAFKs individually select their own waste providers. Working with a single provider, however, could offer more effective cost and operational efficiencies when choosing to recover NCRM. Without support from the waste collection industry, airport operators may continue to find NCRM recovery challenging. By taking a multi-stakeholder approach that includes the waste collection industry, the increase of NCRM recovery could occur. An opportunity also exists for airport operators to integrate their waste contracts with those of participating airlines to allow for the harmonious recovery of NCRM.

27 In-flight kitchens are responsible for supplying and typically coordinating the collection of in-flight materials from inbound aircraft. Airlines, in many markets, have the responsibility of managing their own waste requirements. Airport operators have waste collections and contracts providing support to their terminals. The aviation industry ecosystem of airlines, airports and flight kitchens collectively has the opportunity to harmonize waste contracts. Combining collection efforts to recover materials from operations, including NCRM, and domestic operations can improve cost and operational efficiency. Improvements in the ecosystem management and collection of NCRM can result in cost savings with particular attention paid to logistics of NCRM from inbound flights. Airport operators may be hard pressed to influence airlines to improve on-board separation practices; however, many airlines are motivated to begin to do so amid global pressures to increase material recovery from operations. Some additional areas of focus include on-site processing, source separation, airline/airport working groups, harmonized waste contracts. Streamlining and increasing collection can also increase throughput efficiency and result in cost savings, revenue generation, or both. 5.7 Cost and Cost Savings Landfill usage is preferred in some markets because it remains a lower-cost option compared to recycling. The added costs associated with required QW handling, sterilization, and incineration may also discourage recycling. NCRM also requires separate transport to ensure materials remain uncontaminated, and these added costs may also prevent recovery. Depending on where an airport is located, revenue obtained from NCRM may or may not subsidize these more costly programs. Some airport operators may be dis- incentivized to maintain NCRM programs due to the high costs associated with developing and implementing them. A shared and mutually adopted program across the value chain may be a more cost- effective solution. To reduce the cost differential between QW and NCRM recovery, airport operators could share their costs with airline tenants and airline partners to increase throughput efficiency for NCRM. This can be carried out through the harmonized procurement of waste services and by consolidating valuable materials. In doing so, a more significant amount of recyclables can be recovered, thereby further reducing costs. Overall, gaps in the NCRM recovery chain occur from a lack of collaborative collection through a multi- stakeholder approach. Airlines, airports, catering companies, and waste managers typically work in silos by individually managing waste streams. This limits recovery and cost efficiency and reduces the revenue- generating potential for airport operators. Airport operators can work with existing stakeholders in determining the best types of NCRM for recovery in conjunction with existing recyclables. Airport operators can also reach out to participating airlines to understand their waste streams and on-board program material types. In doing so, airport operators could have increased data on what materials to expect, and therefore can plan to adequately manage them upon arrival. 5.8 Development of NCRM Recovery Programs Handling QW is costly. By developing NCRM programs, airport operators could reduce their waste costs through the added revenue generated from the sale of non-contaminated recyclable materials. In extracting NCRM, airport operators could also reduce the volume of QW and its related handling and processing costs. For airport operators to begin NCRM recovery programs, airlines would need to implement on-board separation. Increased separation can give airport operators significantly more volumes of recyclables. As program efficiencies increase, airport operators could also realize higher profitability. The proper development

28 of NCRM programs requires contamination prevention of collected materials, so that airport operators will need to keep collected materials isolated from QW at all times. Monetization of recyclables, however, can be difficult due to fluctuations in market commodity prices, and these fluctuations can deter airport operators from initiating NCRM recovery. Potential contamination can also prevent airport operators from collecting NCRM and decrease its ability to manage and monetize recyclables. When recyclables are not contaminated, however, and they are collected and recycled, both economic and environmental sustainability can be realized. Airports could provide a higher oversight of in- flight waste and NCRM, but instead, choose to leave the responsibility for this to the incoming airlines' themselves. By choosing to manage waste from in-flight programs with that of international terminals, airports could close, capitalize, and monetize these gaps. 5.9 Increasing Stakeholder Engagement To increase NCRM recovery, airport operators can work to spearhead harmonized, industry-wide communication to develop a platform for airlines to use. Through the hiring of systems or design consultants to investigate and address handling issues, airport operators can design and implement strategies to ensure NCRM recovery is carried out while adhering to local laws. By engaging stakeholders, as it pertains to their use and collection of NCRM, airport operators can be better equipped to understand how to decrease the contamination of NCRM while helping to increase its diversion. Through the development of working groups, in conjunction with industry professionals across all stakeholders, airport operators can be instrumental in developing and ensuring that the aviation ecosystem has the support necessary to create NCRM programs at their airports. Stakeholder engagement is essential for airport operators to spearhead because of their expertise in managing local issues. Each airport operator has some level of control over what can be collected and discarded at their airports. By offering their land- based operations, airport operators can engage stakeholders to provide NCRM recovery, which ultimately can increase revenue-generating opportunities, as well as a ROI. 5.10 Education and Knowledge Airport operators should consider ensuring that all staff who handle NCRM are adequately educated and trained for its handling. Training of airport professionals and staff in the policy knowledge of NCRM handling can aid in the development, implementation, and successful execution of recovery programs. Airport operators looking to extract value from NCRM productively and consistently should consider providing the necessary education to their staff who handle these items. This training should include information on the handling, materials types, NCRM laws, QW requirements, and separation categories. In the early development of NCRM programs, a multi-stakeholder approach is vital to ensure isolation from contaminants throughout the entire value chain of materials.

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When exposed to certain foods or fluids, recyclables arriving on international flights are required to be quarantined due to potential contaminants. As a result, almost every country worldwide prescribes sterilization, incineration, or other disposal methods for these contaminated recyclables.

The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Web-Only Document 46: Recovering International Recyclables from In-Flight Service finds that supply chains, advanced stakeholder engagement, value chain collaboration, and a globally standardized and adopted approach may be needed to increase and better monetize the recovery of Non-Contaminated Recyclable Materials (NCRM).

With a multi-stakeholder approach, airports, airlines, and flight kitchens, along with support partners, can affect the recovery efficiency of NCRM. Through these collaborative efforts, gaps in supply and collection chains can be addressed.

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