Recycling Bins in Airports

ByThe Skeptical Traveler

I am not fascinated by the recycling bins 🙂 but just curios to what degree the airports are ‘recycling friendly’.

And this is my ‘report’ starting with the worst offender. It is the Munich Airport, where there are no recycling bins!?! Who would have thought I would have found this situation in Germany who has been at the forefront of recycling. I was so surprised that I went to the Customer Service. She feigned some surprise that there were no recycling bins and that was it (she seemed quite annoyed that I disturbed her with such an issue, any issue for that matter).

Only one type of waste bin in the Munich AirportThe image shows a white, cylindrical trash can with a mesh design, placed on a tiled floor. The trash can has a plastic liner inside and a label around the top edge with the word "Abfall," which is German for "waste" or "trash." The trash can is positioned next to a dark-colored column.

Quebec: 2 bins, 1 of them for recyclables (I suppose someone will separate them later)The image shows two cylindrical waste bins placed side by side. The bin on the left is a recycling bin with a green and blue design, featuring a recycling symbol and the word "Recyclez!" written on it. The bin on the right is a plain metallic waste bin. Both bins have circular openings at the top.

And for the rest of the airports I have visited, the recycling bins are as expected. The ones from Geneva are the ‘best’, there are four bins very clearly marked, easy to identify what they are for.

BucharestThe image shows three stainless steel recycling bins placed side by side. Each bin has a colored label indicating the type of recyclable material it is meant for. The left bin has a blue label for "Paper, Card," the middle bin has a yellow label for "Metal, Plastic," and the right bin has a green label for "Glass Bottle." The bins are located indoors on a tiled floor.

BrusselsThe image shows three cylindrical waste bins placed together. The bins are made of metal and have colored tops with labels. The bin on the left has a grey top labeled "WASTE DECHETS," the bin in the middle has a blue top with a symbol indicating paper recycling, and the bin on the right has a red top labeled "RECYCLING RECYCLAGE." The bins are placed on a polished floor, and part of a person's legs is visible in the background.

CalgaryThe image shows a recycling station with three separate disposal slots. Each slot is labeled with an icon indicating the type of waste it is meant for. The left slot has an icon of a hand inserting a piece of paper, the middle slot has an icon of a bottle, and the right slot has an icon of a can. The station has a blue lower section with two doors, likely for accessing the bins inside. The top section is silver with a green strip at the top.

GenevaThe image shows four metal recycling bins with perforated sides, each labeled for different types of waste. From left to right, the bins are labeled for aluminum cans (yellow top), paper and newspaper magazines (white top), PET plastic bottles (blue top), and other waste (gray top). Above the bins, there is a sign with a red header that reads "Counterfeits! Warning!" and additional text below it. The bins are placed in an indoor public area with a tiled floor, and there are people in the background.

MontrealThe image shows a recycling station with three separate compartments for different types of waste. The compartments are labeled for "General Waste," "Plastic, Glass, Metal," and "Paper, Cardboard." The station has a large recycling symbol on the front and text in both French and English that reads, "LE RECYCLAGE FAITES-LE, FAITES-LE BIEN!" and "RECYCLING DO IT, DO IT RIGHT!" The station is made of metal and is located indoors, possibly in a public area like an airport or a shopping mall.

San FranciscoThe image shows three metal recycling bins placed side by side. Each bin has a different label and colored lid. The bin on the left has a green lid and is labeled "PAPER" with a recycling symbol. The middle bin has a black lid and is labeled "CONTAINERS PROVIDED ON SITE" with a recycling symbol. The bin on the right has a green lid and is labeled "BOTTLES & CANS" with a recycling symbol. The bins are located indoors, possibly in a public area such as an airport or office building.

VancouverThe image shows a multi-compartment recycling bin with different sections for sorting waste. The top of the bin has a green cover with three distinct openings. Above each opening, there are icons indicating the type of waste that should be disposed of in each section. The icons include symbols for general waste, recyclables, and possibly compost or other specific waste types. The bin is placed on a carpeted floor with some orange circular patterns visible in the background.

VictoriaThe image shows a set of three waste bins located in an indoor area. The bins are labeled for different types of waste: the left bin is for "Paper" with a recycling symbol, the middle bin is for "Waste" with a general trash symbol, and the right bin is for "Bottles & Cans" with a recycling symbol. Behind the bins, there is a glass door with the text "Victoria Airport Authority" visible.

2 Comments

  1. Actually not having to sort your recylce is a sign of good recycling facilitie. Take edmonton , top 3 recycling facilities on the world. Ppl there haven’t had to sort their recycle in over 10 yrs. I was shocked when I moved away and paper, cans, etc. Had to be seperated out when throwing it away.

  2. I actually think San Francisco has the best ones. The trash in the general waste bin still gets sorted and recycled off site. The specific plastics and metal bins are only to help them out a bit (hand sorting is expensive but effective). If people were willing to pay more, sorting all trash would increase the amount of material ultimately recycled.

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