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AirportImprovement.com      May | June 2026
CONCESSIONS 
SEA 
“Our year-end metrics show we sent 
nearly 1,600 tons of organic material to 
the composting facility in 2025,” he says. 
“Before the program, we sent around 
1,400 tons.” 
Organic materials from all compost 
waste are sent to Cedar Grove 
Composting, located just 14 miles from 
the airport, for contaminant removal and 
composting with leaves and vegetation. 
Once the food waste and packaging are 
fully composted, SEA buys the compost 
in bulk or packaged quantities for ground 
maintenance. 
“We joke that it’s our latte-to-landscape 
cycle,” Webb quips.
Following the Trail
Waste audits conducted by SEA 
contractors after the COVID-19 pandemic 
made it clear where the airport needed to 
focus its sustainability efforts, says Webb.
The audits indicate that food and 
beverage operations generate 50% of the 
waste in SEA’s terminal, with packaging 
and food waste from concessions and 
lounges being the chief contributors. “That 
includes the products that they generate 
and provide to consumers, and waste 
materials coming out of back-of-house 
areas in tenant kitchens,” Webb specifies.
To address this difficult challenge, 
the sustainability team developed a 
FACTS&FIGURES 
Project: Reducing Food-Related Trash
Location: Seattle-Tacoma Int’l Airport 
Airport Operator: Port of Seattle
Program Name: Sip, Savor, Sustain
Affected Facilities: Food & beverage 
concessionaires; lounges; back-of-house kitchens; 
public terminal areas
Airport-Supplied Infrastructure: 450+ waste 
collection stations with separate bins for compost 
material, recyclables & trash; access-controlled waste 
compactors for tenant use
Tenant Requirements: Reusable serviceware 
for sit-down restaurants; compostable packaging for 
takeout items
Customer Component: Color-coded bins to sort 
compost material, recyclables & trash for landfill 
Composting Partners: Cedar Grove Composting; 
Compost Manufacturing Alliance
Recycling Partner: Recology
Bin Supplier: Architectural Brass 
Trash Compactor Access & Management 
System: Smarttrash 
Project Timeline: Planning & tenant engagement 
began in 2021; program launched in 2024
Goal: Diverting 60% of all terminal waste from 
landfills
Challenge: 50% of total waste stream is food-related 
Key Benefits: Reducing landfill waste & single-use 
plastics; supporting sustainability goals of airport 
& tenants

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