BACKGROUND

As airports strive to achieve their long-term viability goals, the need for responsible waste management practices has become increasingly critical. Effective recycling programs in airport terminals are essential for enhancing operational efficiency and improving community relations. Airports face unique challenges, including varying passenger demographics, operational scales, and fluctuating waste generation patterns. In addition, numerous behavioral barriers further hinder the effectiveness of these recycling initiatives, leading to high contamination rates and low waste diversion performance.

Research has shown that behavior change practices can play a pivotal role in improving recycling efforts. However, their applicability within the unique environment of recycling behavior in airport terminals remains underexplored. Understanding the current state of waste management within airport terminals is vital for identifying these barriers.

Research is needed to evaluate behavioral change techniques and identify effective strategies for overcoming barriers to successful airport in-terminal recycling. 

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this research is to identify individual and institutional behavioral barriers to airport in-terminal recycling, test the most promising practices for overcoming these barriers, and provide methods for selecting and implementing practices based on local conditions (see Special Note A).

 The results will be documented in an Airport In-Terminal Recycling Behavior Change Report that will include, at a minimum:

• An inventory of the current state of airport waste diversion practices, performance/contamination levels, strategy limitations, and behavioral barriers;
• An overview of relevant behavioral change practices that describes, at a minimum, resource requirements, implementation timelines, and airport use cases;
• An evaluation of tested behavioral change practices and their potential impacts on decreasing contamination and increasing waste diversion;
• Methods for comparing, selecting, and implementing behavioral change practices based on key airport characteristics (e.g., size, location, operations, resource availability, governance);
• Case study examples demonstrating successful incorporation of behavioral change practices to improve recycling in relevant settings; and
• A list of resources.

RESEARCH PLAN

The research plan shall include, at a minimum, the following interim deliverables for ACRP review and approval:

• A literature review and an initial list of resources.
• A data collection plan that includes the behavioral methods to be tested; a list of recommended airports representing various sizes, locations, and activity levels; data collection methods (e.g., surveys, focus groups); and rationale.
• A list of representative case study examples and rationale.
• An interim report summarizing the research conducted to date, including midpoint testing results, analyses, next steps, and potential follow-on research ideas that may be developed into problem statements.

The research plan shall include the following checkpoints with the ACRP panel at a minimum:

• A kick-off web meeting to be held within 1 month of the Notice to Proceed;
• A web meeting to approve the data collection plan, literature review, and recommended case study examples;
• One in-person interim meeting to review and approve the interim report. 

The final deliverables will include:

• The Airport In-Terminal Recycling Behavior Change Report;
• A Contractor’s Final Report documenting all research steps, results, and analyses;
• A Summary of Key Findings;
• A Further Recommended Research Memo outlining potential areas for additional inquiry; and
• A technical memo titled “Implementation of Research Findings and Products”.

STATUS: Proposals have been received in response to the RFP. The project panel will meet to select a contractor to perform the work.