The Circular Mandate—Transforming Construction Plastics from Liability to Resource

Airports are among the most visible symbols of growth and connectivity. But behind every expansion or modernization lies a reality that is less celebrated: the mountains of construction and demolition waste these projects generate.

Gil Yaron is managing director of Circular Innovation for Light House, a Vancouver-based organization working to advance regenerative and circular policy and practices in the built environment that nurture human health and well-being. He brings more than 30 years of experience in policy, research, stakeholder engagement, circular economics, material diversion strategies, extended producer responsibility and Construction, Renovation and Demolition policy and practice.

Within that vast stream, plastics stand out. Packaging, wraps, strapping and other polymer-based materials appear on virtually every job site. Yet despite their ubiquity, they are rarely tracked or managed in a systematic way. For airport authorities and contractors navigating billion-dollar capital projects throughout North America, that is a blind spot that can’t be ignored.

In 2024, Light House launched the Construction Plastics Initiative (CPI), a first-of-its-kind pilot program to capture, divert and repurpose plastic waste into new building materials. Working with 10 construction projects, we piloted practical solutions such as on-site collection, supplier engagement and repurposing plastics into new building materials. The goal: prove that circular systems for plastics are both possible and scalable.

What the Data Shows

To move beyond pilot projects, we needed data. Our CPI Benchmarking Study is the first effort to quantify construction plastics waste throughout Canada. By analyzing diversion rates from 253 LEED-certified projects throughout the nation, we established a conservative baseline: diversion intensity averages 1.1 to 2.7 kg/m², with institutional buildings such as airports having the highest diversion intensity of all building types.

For airports, the implications are significant. Construction of a 260,000-square-meter terminal or hangar could generate the equivalent of at least 140 million plastic bags.

Two insights stand out:

• Inconsistent reporting: Current waste data rarely distinguishes plastics by type, making it difficult to set targets, benchmark progress or verify ESG performance.
• A hidden liability: Because plastics are not tracked separately, they remain invisible in project reporting, undermining operational transparency and sustainability goals.

For airport stakeholders, unmanaged plastics expose projects to:

• Limited visibility into true waste volumes, since plastics are typically lumped into mixed loads.
• Lost opportunities to demonstrate circularity, as recyclable plastics that could re-enter the supply chain instead end up in landfill.
• Reputational risk, because airports are high-profile projects where sustainability commitments are closely scrutinized by investors, airlines and the traveling public.

In short, plastics left untracked and unmanaged remain a hidden liability for major airport projects.

Pathway to a Circular Future

The good news is that solutions are accessible and high-impact. External research shows up to 80% of construction plastic waste is clean packaging that could be readily captured and diverted.

Through CPI, we’ve shown how simple measures can convert plastic waste into raw materials for new products. Instead of treating plastics as an afterthought, project teams can embed circularity into construction practices from the ground up.

When our full CPI findings are released in 2026, we will provide a blueprint for scale—a tested model that can be applied to projects of every size, including the largest and most complex airport builds.

The Call to Action

For airport authorities, general contractors and developers, the takeaway is clear: Now is the time to act. By embracing circular systems for plastics, you can:

• Mitigate risk by improving visibility into a major but under-tracked waste stream.
• Strengthen your airport’s reputation by showing measurable sustainability leadership in high-visibility projects.
• Demonstrate innovation by integrating recycled plastics into the construction supply chain.

Airports are built to last for decades. The systems we adopt today will define not only how efficiently these facilities operate, but also how responsibly they are built. By addressing plastics now, we can transform a hidden liability into a resource that delivers both environmental and economic benefits.

The full CPI Benchmarking Report is available at Light House.org.