{"id":1000010235,"date":"2023-03-17T17:01:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-17T16:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forum-engagement.org\/?p=1000010235"},"modified":"2023-03-07T17:03:21","modified_gmt":"2023-03-07T16:03:21","slug":"aviation-waste-problem-is-a-green-economy-opportunity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forum-engagement.org\/2024\/aviation-waste-problem-is-a-green-economy-opportunity\/","title":{"rendered":"Aviation Waste Problem Is A Green Economy Opportunity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/a><\/a><\/a>The aviation industry, broadly understood, has long been the source of substantial waste management challenges, both for the host airports themselves and for the communities in which they are situated.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is only very recently that much attention has been paid to addressing these aviation waste practices and, to date, no meaningful integrated strategy, capturing all aviation waste materials across the supply chain, has emerged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yet, with recent seismic shifts in air travel demand, inefficient industry-wide, carbon-intensive systems are ripe for disruption. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Curious Case of Heathrow Runway Three<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recent decision of England\u2019s Court of Appeal denying an application for a third runway at London\u2019s Heathrow Airport<\/a>, based on unmitigated climate change impacts, should be viewed as a clarion call for the aviation industry, and not merely on the issue of aircraft emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In its environmental assessment plan for waste, Heathrow (properly) proposed compliance with the EU Circular Economy Action Plan and related Waste Directives. Still, the project was short on new solutions and without any infrastructure commitments. The obligations to manage the resulting increased waste was, once again, to be borne by the local communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aviation as Good Neighbours?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ironically, the new runway at Heathrow would have caused a reduction in waste management capacity with the likely closure of a nearby waste-to-energy facility. For aviation to succeed in maintaining good standing (and necessary approvals), it must be less isolated and better neighbours to the communities they serve.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With bailouts in the aviation industry pending, a case is being made by politicians to possibly attach environmental performance conditions. Aviation has always been a mix of public service, and private venture and the public may want environmental benefits in any trade for government financial relief.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Airports\u2019 \u201cZero Landfill\u201d Goals Require Upstream Coordination<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The notion that airports should not be the generators of landfilled waste is not particularly new or novel. The Airport Council International\u2019s (ACI) Policy and Recommended Handbook makes this clear:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAirports should promote the culture of avoiding solid waste generation and, where possible, extracting value from remaining waste with the ultimate goal of sending zero waste to landfills.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as we\u2019ve seen with every waste stream challenge (in aviation and elsewhere), policies that place the onus upon the waste collector alone, without coordination with the sources of such waste, have failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Airports can\u2019t do this alone. They need an aggregated, collaborative and readily available \u201cmarket-making\u201d circular economic platform. A platform with a mission to provide a base of research and expert knowledge can drive value for the industry, both short and long term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So Many Waste Streams \/ So Much Waste<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite traffic fluctuations, waste production continues unabated and managing aviation-related waste streams remains a challenge. The current siloed multi-stakeholder strategy prevents value extraction through resource recovery and examples of neglected waste streams, include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n