Happy Waste Reduction Week! This week is the annual Canadian Waste Reduction Week and we at YVR love the opportunity to participate in the discussion around waste innovation.
With close to 26 million passengers travelling through in 2018, we at YVR are proud that 51% of our waste was diverted from landfill. In fact, we’ve been achieving over 50% waste diversion since 2016, reaching our 2020 goal four years ahead of schedule. How did YVR achieve this, and what are we doing to push the diversion rate even higher?
Engage
YVR is constantly engaging tenants and passengers through fun initiatives. Every year, a Waste Wars competition is held at the terminal in which tenants compete to be the best waste sorters. Also, working with Intuitive AI, the Airport Authority recently added an artificial intelligence system called OSCAR to several waste bins in the terminal to help passengers sort their waste. As a direct result of these two projects, we’ve seen considerable improvement in diversion, but most importantly, education and excitement around waste reduction at YVR.
Influence
YVR is committed to reducing its use of disposable products. That’s why we launched an overhaul on all plastic straws, plastic bags and styrofoam in the terminal. Since the beginning of our mission to eliminate plastic straws, we’ve converted the majority of our food and beverage tenants from plastic to paper – a major win for us, our passengers, and the environment. Having tackled plastic straws, we’re looking to address plastic cutlery and coffee cups in our future projects.
Participate
YVR’s environmental sustainability is only getting better, in part because of the participation of readers like you. Next time you fly out of YVR, try employing the following strategies to reduce your travel-related waste footprint:
- Visit OSCAR at any of the three locations in the Terminal to have fun sorting your waste effectively
- Dispose of your chopsticks in our designated bins to contribute to our partnership with ChopValue – an innovative chopstick repurposing business
- Bring a thermos that can double as a coffee cup and water bottle to cut down on the need for disposable cups
We encourage you to read and engage in the waste conversation in any way you can over Waste Reduction Week. Together we can reduce the waste we generate.
Questions? We’re happy to help. Contact [email protected].