Driving Innovation in Waste Management: Our Partnership with Christchurch Airport
At Sustainably, we are proud to highlight our vital role in Christchurch Airport’s groundbreaking initiative to minimise waste, which has recently garnered two prestigious international awards: the Green Airports Recognition 2023 and the Airport Carbon Accreditation - Mentor from Airports Council International Asia-Pacific.
A key factor in achieving these awards is the airport’s newly established Material Recovery Facility, a testament to over a year of dedicated collaboration between Christchurch Airport and Sustainably. The initiative began with one of New Zealand’s most comprehensive waste audits, conducted by Sustainably, which involved meticulously hand-sorting 1,000 kilograms of waste to gain valuable insights into the airport's waste system. With this critical data in hand, Christchurch Airport worked closely with Sustainably to devise a strategic plan aimed at significantly enhancing its waste diversion rate.
The team focused on identifying materials that could be reused or recycled, including organics and liquid waste. This partnership led to the design and commissioning of a custom waste sortation table, expertly crafted by Sustainably to efficiently separate liquid waste. The sortation table is staffed by a dedicated team from EnviroNZ, who manually sort through the general waste collected from the terminal and surrounding areas.
Christchurch Airport has set an ambitious goal of diverting 80% of waste from landfills, a remarkable increase from their previous diversion rate of just over 42%. This project establishes a new benchmark for how airports can embrace circularity in their operations. The judging panel for the Green Airports Recognition commended Christchurch Airport’s commitment, stating, “Christchurch Airport’s dedication to improving resource diversion from landfill into circular economies is highly impressive, serving as an excellent example for other airports to follow.”
In just the first three months, the sortation table and sorting staff have elevated the airports diversion rate from 42% to over 50%, demonstrating that rethinking waste as a source of reusable resources can drive transformative change. With a passionate team and a clear vision, Christchurch Airport is well on its way to achieving its goal of 80% waste diversion. At Sustainably, we are thrilled to be part of this transformative project, supporting Christchurch Airport in its journey toward waste reduction and helping set a new standard for sustainability in the aviation industry.
