Developing a waste action plan for Kerry Regional Airport:

Facts:

• Ireland has 6 regional airports & 3 international airports.
• Over 1.5 million passengers traveled through Irish regional airports in 2007.
• The majority of flights to & from Irish regional airports are short haul European flights.
• Irish international airports have begun to publish environmental information and set targets for reducing their environmental impact. Very little work has been done in this area for Irish regional airports.
• The traveling public consume a wide variety of products, many of which are disposable such as soft drinks, food, newspapers & magazines.
• Much of this waste is recyclable if facilities are provided.
• Recent changes in security protocol have increased waste levels at all airports as passengers cannot carry on board certain items which are then discarded as waste.
• Monitoring energy & water consumption as well as waste arisings may be shared by a number of personnel.

All Irish regional airports will have a number of sub-contractors operating on its premises such as car hire companies, restaurant & bars and/or a convenience store. Isolating the energy and water consumption as well as waste generation by these sub-contractors must be a top priority for a regional airport developing an environmental action plan.

The co-operation of airlines operating services to and from the airports is also crucial to the success of any waste prevention and recycling initiative for regional airports. If similar policies were adopted for all regional airports getting the commitment of the airlines may prove easier.

Steps to developing an environmental action plan for a regional airport

Step 1: Gather baseline data

• A detailed financial review of energy, water & waste costs should be undertaken.
• If sub-contractors are not currently responsible for individual waste, energy & water costs, ensuring they become responsible for these costs should be a top priority for the programme.
• Undertake a review of operating practices within the airport to identify areas for improvement.

Step 2: Audit

• Conduct a waste audit to identify patterns and waste streams throughout the airport.
• Conduct an energy audit – to do this effectively you may need the assistance of Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) further details available at: www.sei.ie/business .
• Audit water meter readings and contact the local authority for assistance on understanding more about the airports water consumption: you may need to consider sub-metering to contractors operating within your premises.

Step 3: Communicate

• Discuss the findings of the auditing process with all stakeholders: staff, airline personnel, passengers (if appropriate) and sub contractors.
• Look for ideas for developing the environmental programme from these stakeholders – establish interest in developing a green team to oversee the environmental programme.

Step 4: Develop the Environmental Programme

• Set targets for environmental improvement: these targets should be both specific and generic and embrace energy, waste and water.
• Monitor progress.
• Communicate progress.
• Review.