Kerry County Council and Kerry Airport

Kerry Airport is the fastest growing regional airport in Ireland, passenger numbers are approaching 400,000 per annum and as with any business, its operation has a significant impact on the environment.

International experience would indicate that waste, water and energy consumption all increase with a growth in passenger numbers. The objective of this initiative is to decouple a growth in resource consumption from a growth in passenger numbers and to develop a strategy to manage the environmental impact of Kerry Airport on its local environment.

Similar to the other initiatives in this programme, the starting point is to establish baseline information hence a series of waste, energy and water audits have been carried out.

At the same time an awareness programme on waste prevention has been established for airport management and staff as well as other contractors on site, e.g. restaurant and bar staff.

A new system for collection of waste has been implemented which will divert approximately 50% of waste from landfill.

Fixing water leaks, dripping taps as well as more efficient use of water overall has resulted in reducing water consumption by 13 cubic meters a day; saving a valuable resource as well as money for the management of Kerry Airport.

An extensive audit of energy consumption was undertaken by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) for the airport. A report on this including a range of measures and recommendations that could be undertaken by the airport is currently being considered.