The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is the 16th busiest passenger airport in the U.S., serving almost 30 million passengers a year and moving more than 346,000 metric tons of air cargo annually. This movement equates to a lot of trash going into landfills. However, the environmentally friendly culture of Seattle has helped to inspire SEA to move to an aggressive recycling program and SEA has not only meet its obligations to the public, but has also surpassed them.

Doug Holbrook, manager, utilities and business management for SEA, has held this position for six years. However, he has been with SEA for 30 years and has witnessed amazing growth in its recycling program since its 2001 inception. SEA’s recycling program has increased 1,000 percent since Doug took the helm six years ago and AM wanted to know what is involved and how the dramatic increase occurred. Doug graciously agreed to an interview and was instrumental in providing information for an environmental article that appears in AM’s April 2007 general aviation edition.

AM: Why did SEA begin the program in 2001 and not earlier?

Doug Holbrook: We did have a program prior to 2001, but not a lot of oversight and work was going into it. In 2001 the Port of Seattle adopted some new key strategies, being a great environmental steward of public facilities was one of those strategies. We decided to become more aggressive about our recycling program and this project was assigned to me.

What was involved in the education and enrollment of staff and tenants?

We meet with all staff and tenants on a periodic basis to provide them education, materials and gather their ideas on how to improve our recycling program. Posters and information on our Web site illustrate what can be recycled and how to participate in the recycling program.

What types of materials are recycled and how was the 1,000 percent increase possible in five years?

Paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, aluminum cans, coffee grounds, fryer grease, scrap metal, construction debris, antifreeze, tires, batteries, light bulbs, computers, and on and on. The dramatic increase was through our concerted effort to make it easy and convenient for passengers and staff to recycle. We coupled this with education and lots of media attention to our recycling program. Garbage use is charged at $5 per use of the compactors while recycling is free. So we provide a financial incentive as well as social to recycle.

Have you had to overcome any barriers, either financial or social?

None, everyone does a great job here of recycling. It is just the nature of people that live in the Northwest.

Future SEA proposals to extend the recycling program?

Yes, just when I think we have come up with every idea, we get new ones. We are going to work with the flight kitchens on their food waste. Meetings with airlines to increase their recycling from the planes have just started. We are currently at 25 percent of our waste stream from the airport being recycled materials; we would like that to become 50 percent.

Amount of money, time, trees saved by the program?

We save about $150,000 to $200,000 per year by recycling. Recycling tons are one-third the cost to have hauled away as garbage, plus we get payments from the recycler for the aluminum, scrap metal, cardboard and paper. 16,187 MBTU of energy savings per year (149 equivalent number of households annual energy use), 654 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions reduced (485 cars removed from the road equivalent), don’t have a trees saved calculation.

You retired on March 30, 2007, how much time did you spend training your incumbents and instilling your vision?

Stacy Fox and Jeremy Webb have already taken my place for recycling. We have been training together since January 1, 2007. I’ve spent 30 years with the airport and am very proud of the recycling program and my passion for the program is visible in its success.