Denver International Airport (DEN) celebrated a new milestone of its Zero Waste Valet Program, which has diverted 69.2 tons of material from landfills to compost and recycling since its launch in June 2024. The pilot program, funded by a Colorado Department of Public Health grant and managed by Denver-based composting firm Scraps, currently diverts material from 19 Concourse B concessions concepts at the airport and has reached a waste diversion rate three times higher than for the rest of the facility. The airport plans to implement the program in all Concourse B concessions by the second quarter of 2025, with a goal to extend the initiative to all of its concourses.
“We are very pleased with the results Zero Waste Valet has achieved in the first six months that it’s been operating,” said DEN CEO Phil Washington. “By ensuring waste is properly managed in critical areas like concessions, we are making significant and meaningful strides toward reducing landfilled waste and carbon emissions, while demonstrating our commitment to becoming the greenest airport in the world.”
“We’re thrilled to be able to help turn DEN’s zero-waste vision into reality,” added Scraps founder and CEO Christi Turner. “This program is a tremendous opportunity for Scraps to put our proven zero-waste methodology to the test, and to partner with the DEN team to develop innovative new protocols to overcome the unique hurdles to waste diversion in our city’s busy, massive, 365-days-a-year airport.”
