Hartsfield-Jackson International said about 5 percent of passengers’ waste is being recycled at the airport, but it intends to increase that to 30 percent through education and the addition of recycling kiosks in food courts.
The airport added 320 recycling bins throughout the airport in December 2014 for recyclable paper, cans and plastic. A previous airport recycling program launched in 2009 failed to meet its goals of separating recyclables from waste that were discarded into the same bin.
Hartsfield-Jackson officials say the airport already recycles about 40 percent of construction and demolition waste, green waste and internal commodities.
But they say much of passengers’ waste is thrown-away food that is not as easily recycled. The airport plans to soon relaunch an effort to build a composting facility at the airport.
About the Author
