A total of 80 percent of the concessionaires at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) are already using biodegradable alternatives to their containers in restaurants and shops inside the airport.
This is the progress they’ve made since launching their Going Green Campaign on two passenger terminals since the start of this year.
Under the policy, MCIA’s private operator GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC) encourages the use of eco-friendly and reusable substitutes for their concessionaires after it banned the use of non-biodegradable single-use plastics and polystyrene containers.
Now, these concessionaires are already using biodegradable alternatives such as plant starch utensils, paper cups and straws, wood stirrers, paper bags, and carton boxes for takeaway food.
“We took this step forward starting with our commercial partners as our commitment to environmental sustainability,” said GMCAC chief executive advisor Andrew Acquaah-Harrison.
“In 2018, MCIA produced a monthly average of 3,500-kilograms (kgs) of plastic waste from its restaurants and shops. This is now down by close to 30% or a decrease of around 12,000-kgs per year,” Harrison added.
GMCAC also holds regular information and education campaigns for all airport concessionaires and stakeholders to raise awareness on the impacts of plastic use on the environment.
Meanwhile, GMCAC underlined its other initiatives as part of its commitment to environmental sustainability.
Since August 2017, GMCAC has been using 6,300 solar panels on the roof of Terminal 1 to supply electricity for the airport. This made MCIA the first solar-powered airport in the Philippines.
On a monthly average, the solar panel system produces 196,800 Kwh and provides for 30% of the electricity requirements of the domestic terminal.
