Zero Waste Plan - San Francisco International Airport

Excluded MaterialsMethodologyNot included in the plan are Construction andDemolition (C&D) debris. Compliance with thecity’s requirement to divert 75% of C&D debris(set in Chapter 7 of the San Francisco EnvironmentCode) is tracked by the SF Department of theEnvironment (SFE) through contractor submittalsfor all municipal construction projects. Thetechnical specifications for airport constructionprojects contain detailed requirements fortracking and recycling C&D waste, and requireannual reports to SFE to document the generationand recycling of such waste materials.To identify the total amounts of mixed solid waste(MSW, also known as landfill waste), compostablewaste, and separated recyclable material generatedat SFO, the team analyzed quarterly reportsfrom 2010 to 2016 which summarized the wastematerials collected by SFO’s waste hauler, SouthSan Francisco Scavenger Company (SSFSC).Since the C&D waste stream is highly variable(depending upon the scope and scale ofcapital improvement and facility maintenanceprojects), it is not captured in the airport’s annualClimate Action Plan or emissions inventories,nor will it be in the future, as guided by AirportCarbon Accreditation methodology.Baseline Data on SFO’sCurrent Materials SystemIn pursuit of zero waste, SFO’s team developeda methodology to thoroughly assess andunderstand the lifecycle of materials acrossour campus and the diverse stakeholdersinvolved within those lifecycles.Week-long solid waste characterizationstudies were also conducted by a contractedfirm, Environmental Science Associates (ESA)during the Airport’s peak travel season (July– September). These studies were conductedannually, from 2011 to 2015, to determine thepercentage breakdown (by mass) of refuse,organics and recyclables in 15-16 compactors,six roll-off boxes, and a combination of smallerbins and toters. Findings from each of ESA’sstudies conducted under contract wereextrapolated to estimate the relative percentagebreakdown of waste types for the airport.Key FindingsHISTORICAL PASSENGER ENPLANEMENT & WASTEMATERIAL GENERATION RATES AT SFO (Fig 4)Below is a summary of this “cradle-tocradle” approach to analyzing the materialsconsumed and disposed of at SFO, withdescriptions of the methods applied, keyfindings, and recommended next steps.TASK 1: BENCHMARK CURRENTMATERIALS GENERATION & TRENDSThe foundation of any good plan is good andcomplete data. Thus, SFO’s first task in assessingits materials was to collect data to establisha baseline and evaluate historical trends.The process outlined below was used toanalyze and synthesize available data on thetype and quantity of solid waste materialsgenerated across the SFO campus.In Fiscal Year 2015-16, SSFSC hauled 12,200 shorttons of solid waste consisting of compostable,recyclable, and non-renewable refuse material.This total does not include C&D debris, deplanedwaste from international flights, or materialsclassified as universal or hazardous waste.SFO’S ZERO WASTE PLAN7

Approximately 6,960 tons, or 57% of this total wassource-separated on-site at SFO (Figure 4). Of thesource-separated materials, over 70% (4,917 tons)were reported as compostable and processed at acomposting facility in Gilroy, CA; the remainder washauled by SSFSC. In terms of waste characterization,ESA’s study found significant contaminationthroughout SFO’s bins and compactors. However,less than 5% of this waste was identified tobe non-compostable or non-recyclable.Recommendations SFO’s standard materials bins were comparedto experimental bins that used variouscombinations of sorting symbols andtext, by looking at resulting percentageof waste they diverted from landfills torecycling or compost. The first study testedbins placed in International Terminal G,Terminal 2 (pre-security), and the Terminal3 East holding area. The second studytested updated versions of bins in the T3East holding area and the T2 food court. Employ on-site measurement technology toweigh waste materials destined for composting,recycling and landfilling to provide reliable dataon actual generation of each waste component.Sixty-nine receptacles located at curbsidedrop-off/pick-up locations were observedfor their ratio of contaminated contentsto suitable contents (e.g. the number ofcompostable items in landfill receptacles,or vice versa). Landfill receptacles withcontamination rates of 20% or more wereconsidered “contaminated,” as were recyclingreceptacles with rates of at least 10%.TASK 2: EVALUATE CURRENTGENERATORS & DIVERSION PRACTICESSFO’s next steps were to identify key wastegenerators and evaluate the effectivenessof current infrastructure and practicesused to handle materials when disposingof MSW as well as source-separated,recyclable, and compostable materials. A series of studies were conducted to assesswaste generation and quantify waste diversionrates in passenger areas (pre- and post-security)and front- and back-of-house tenant spaces,as well as to identify major sources of waste inpassenger areas and Material Recovery Areas.These studies were conducted within the airport’spassenger terminal areas (“Waste ReceptacleProject”), curbside drop-off locations, MaterialsRecovery Areas (formerly called “Trash CompactorAreas/Enclosures”), and leasehold spaces.Methodology In the first and second Waste ReceptacleProject studies, SFO’s standard waste biniconography, wording, and design wereanalyzed for their effectiveness in promotingproper waste diversion in passenger areas.The Terminal Curbside ReceptacleContamination Survey analyzed bins locatedin public areas not examined in the WasteReceptacle Project studies.The Material Recovery Area Mixed SolidWaste Compactor Survey sought to identifygenerators of MSW and analyze the diversionpotential of waste that was brought to 16terminal MSW compactors during peakoperational hours, Monday through Friday.Sixteen sessions were conducted in 3-to4-hour intervals. During each session,surveyors recorded information fromtenants and SFO staff depositing materialsbags into compactors (i.e. date, time, name,company, waste type) and inspected thebags. The number of bags identified asMSW (landfill), recycling and compost wereused to calculate the percentage of each. The Tenant-Owned Diversion of Compostableand Recyclable Materials Survey was conductedto provide additional characterization ofwaste generated in the back-of-house by SFOconcessions. Photos of receptacle contentswere analyzed to determine percentages ofMSW (landfill), recyclables and compost.SFO’S ZERO WASTE PLAN8

WASTE RECEPTACLE PROJECT (Fig 5)Key Findings The Waste Receptacle Project studies revealedthat most materials from passenger areas weregenerated on-site by concessionaires. In thefirst study, experimental bins yielded greaterdiversion rates than SFO’s standard bins (50%on average compared to 24.7%), but had nosignificant impact on waste sorting accuracy.In the second study, updated experimentalbins with revised signage yielded an increasedaccuracy rate (58% compared to the 49%average in the first study). The Terminal Curbside ReceptacleContamination Survey revealed that thecontamination rates of bins located outside ofterminals were significant: 78% in Terminal 1,69% in Terminal 3, and 44% in Terminal 2. The Material Recovery Area (MRA) MixedSolid Waste Compactor Survey revealed thatwithin terminal areas, waste-generating areasincluded tenant leaseholds or storage areas,passenger areas and office spaces servicedby custodial, and areas for ground handlersservicing aircrafts.FOOD COURTPRE-SECURITYOut of a total 724 bags observed throughoutSFO’s terminals, 65% of the contents werecompostable. Paper towels were the mostfrequently observed compostable item, andfood waste was second. In terms of wastegenerators, food and beverage tenantsaccounted for 29.7%; SFO custodiansaccounted for 41.6%; and 28.7% wasproduced by offices, airlines, and retailers.FOOD COURTINTERNATIONAL The MRA Mixed Solid waste CompactorSurvey revealed that, of the MSW generatedby food and beverage tenants, 81% wascompostable, 7% was recyclable, and theremaining 12% was landfill. This informationgave validation to a visual analysis of backof-house waste generated by tenants.HOLDING AREASFO’S ZERO WASTE PLAN9

Recommendations Create and apply protocols for campus-widewaste characterization baseline and ongoingstudies Identify technologies to streamline datacollection and verification to measureperformance Apply more effective designs and signage onwaste receptacles to promote more wastediversion and proper sorting Simplify the food and beverage wastestream to ensure that all materials generatedare covered by receptacle symbolsTASK 3: SUMMARIZE INFLUENTIALFACTORS IN MATERIALS DIVERSIONBased upon the analyses performed in Tasks 1and 2, the following narrative was prepared tosummarize the strengths and weaknesses inSFO’s current materials management system.This included:I. Collection & Disposal InfrastructureII. Data Collection & Tracking of MaterialsIII. Mapping & Infrastructure ManagementIV. Materials Management StaffingV. Outreach & EducationVI. Waste Handling ContractsVII. Future System InfluencersIn many cases, short-term improvementswere implemented based on the findings. Thissummary is further detailed in Appendix VI.COLLECTION & DISPOSAL INFRASTRUCTURE (Fig 6)SFO’S ZERO WASTE PLAN10

Data Collection & Tracking of Waste MaterialsOverviewWithout access to consistent, reliable, andgranular data, the airport is flying blind as itworks to implement its roadmap to zero waste.The most comprehensive source of informationavailable on SFO’s historic rates of materialsgeneration is quarterly data reported by theairport’s materials hauler, South San FranciscoScavenger Company (SSFSC), which detailsthe tonnage of source-separated recyclablematerials collected from SFO and sold bySSFSC, as well as the estimated tonnage ofcompostable waste processed at the Z Bestfacility in Gilroy, CA. This quarterly data wascompiled from the past six years of records.However, the SSFSC’s quarterly reports providelimited insight into the airport’s practices forhandling solid waste or its key waste generators,since they summarize the materials collectedfrom containers, bins, and compactors that servean array of airport departments and tenants.Thus, it is challenging to determine wheresolid waste materials originate from within theairport, and to define the primary classes ofconstituents across all three material streams.To address these data gaps, SFO has identifiedthe scope of work to collec

SFO’S ZERO WASTE PLAN 4 OUR GOAL San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has set a goal of becoming the world’s first zero waste airport by 2021. The zero waste goal, as defined by the Zero Waste Alliance, is to divert at least 90% of waste from landfills and incinerators using methods like recycling and composting.