Beginning this month, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) will require all food service tenants to transition to compostable or reusable food service packaging. The new regulation, which applies to sit-down eateries, fast-casual cafes, lounges and catering groups, will require all food service providers to use plant-based, Compost Manufacturing Alliance-approved products that will be sent out for processing to the Cedar Grove facility in Maple Valley, Washington after airport use. SEA purchases soil from the compost facility for use in its landscaping and construction projects.
The airport said that many of SEA’s vendors have already transitioned to using more sustainable packaging well ahead of the new rule, including concessionaire HMSHost and independent operator Sam Choy’s Poke. Existing regulations saved SEA 1,394 tons of waste in 2023, they added.
“Last year, the Port came closer to our 60% waste diversion goal, ending the year at 48% at SEA. This transition will help us reach that goal even sooner,” said Port of Seattle commissioner Ryan Calkins of the initiative. “Reusable and compostable products support local efforts to recover organic waste, reduce single-use plastics, and improve the quality of our recycling at SEA, while still providing an elevated customer dining experience.”
“We’ve been working toward this transition at SEA for years, and we’re very excited to see it implemented and ultimately to see the results,” added SEA’s managing director Lance Lyttle. “We’re grateful to our dining partners for helping us reach this moment through feedback and collaboration, and for being a part of our continued efforts to be good stewards of our environment.”
