The Leading Airport Magazine

Istanbul Airport, where iGA has carefully implemented environment and sustainability policies, has become the first airport issued with a ‘Zero Waste Certificate’ within the scope of the ‘Zero Waste’ project carried out by Turkey’s Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning. The aim is to prevent waste and use resources in a more efficient manner.

iGA has established its waste management infrastructure with a system where waste is effectively separated at source.

What is the ‘Zero Waste’ project?

The disposal of waste, both in its physical form and as energy, without being utilised in the processes of recycling and recovery, causes significant losses in resources. ‘Zero Waste’ is a goal defined as a waste prevention approach that includes the prevention of waste, the more efficient usage of resources, the reduction of the amount of waste generated, the establishment of an effective collection system, and the recycling of waste.

The aim is to review the reasons for waste formation, prevent or minimise waste formation, and separate waste at source if it is generated, recycling these waste products in order to prevent air, water and soil contamination.

Istanbul Airport, where iGA has carefully implemented environment and sustainability policies, has become the first airport issued with a ‘Zero Waste Certificate’ within the scope of the ‘Zero Waste’ project carried out by Turkey’s Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning. The aim is to prevent waste and use resources in a more efficient manner.

‘Zero Waste’ practices at Istanbul Airport

Under the ‘Zero Waste’ principle, the waste of all parties operating at Istanbul Airport, including iGA, is divided into five categories: paper-carton, packaging, glass, organic, and domestic waste. Indeed, all enterprises conducting business at Istanbul Airport, where the entire waste management infrastructure has been designed to ensure recycling, have signed the airport’s ‘Zero Waste Declaration’.

“We are designing all the processes at Istanbul Airport in line with our environment and sustainability policies,” says Kadri Samsunlu, Chief Executive Officer, iGA Airport Operation. “We aim to achieve maximum savings from the perspective of Zero Waste Principles. 100 tons of waste is being generated daily at Istanbul Airport and 30% of it, meaning 30 tons, is being sent to recycling.

“We are extremely delighted to learn that it has become the first airport certified with the ‘Zero Waste Certificate’, setting an example for the aviation industry. This achievement is motivating us towards bigger goals. I would like to underline that our desire to leave a clean and developed Turkey for future generations and a world that is fit to live in lies at the core of all of this work. As an ‘Environment Friendly’ airport, we will continue our work by contributing to the environment that we live in, our country and the rest of the world in line with this goal.”