Recycling / Solid Waste Reduction

Pavement Recycling

DCRA utilizes innovative construction methods to rebuild or repair airport roadways, taxiways, runways, and parking surfaces through the recycling of existing road material back into new pavement.

Concrete pavement is crushed and processed on-site and the remaining particulates are used as substructure for new layers of concrete. Concrete that cannot be used as substructure is utilized in roadway drain tiles and erosion control materials.

Asphalt pavement is restored using “cold central-plant recycling.” In this technique, stockpiled milled asphalt from the road is processed in a nearby plant for reuse under a new hot-mix asphalt overlay.

For each ton of cement and asphalt recycled at DCRA, more than 2,000 gallons of water are saved and the emission of nearly 4,000 pounds of CO2 gas is eliminated.

Consumer Waste Recycling

DCRA is committed to the recycling of routine consumer waste products such as glass, paper, and plastic bottles. New sorting stations (a single garbage collection bin where recyclables are sorted by the user) have been placed around the terminal to encourage and assist visitors with recycling. More than 80% of DCRA waste is sorted for recycling.

Paperless/Recycled Paper Office Procedures

DCRA continues to move away from a traditional paper-based operational strategy through the use of e-mail, web, and other nonpaper reporting systems. Most recently, the DCRA Operations Department replaced a paper intensive reporting system with an electronic system. Progressive website technologies are continually improved to provide paperless form reporting, thus reducing the necessity for paper faxing, reproduction, and distribution methods.

In addition to paperless office procedures, DCRA works closely with service and product vendors to utilize high percentage post-consumer recycled paper for reproductions. This includes Airport stationery, envelopes, business cards, reports, manuals, brochures, and day-to-day copy machine reproductions.

Paper Towel Reduction Program

DCRA continues to reduce the amount of paper towel used in public and staff restrooms through the deployment of energy efficient, highly effective electric hand dryer systems. In addition to electric hand dryer systems, the number of available paper towel dispensers have been reduced, encouraging visitors to utilize the high-efficiency hand dryers.