Press Release

• Gatwick is first UK airport to sign up to the ‘Halving Waste to Landfill’ initiative
• Delivering £1 billion investment programme sustainably
• Gatwick reused or recycled 226,000 tonnes of construction waste in 2010 – enough to fill 550 Boeing 747s

Gatwick is in the throes of transforming the airport with a near £1 billion capital investment programme. Spending around £1 million each day, the new management team is overseeing the development of new multi-storey car parks, modern terminal entrances and concourse areas, new and improved security areas and aircraft stands to accommodate the Airbus A380. Such significant building works create construction waste, so it is little wonder that Gatwick has pledged its commitment to WRAPs 'Halving Waste to Landfill' initiative, making it the first UK airport to do so.
 
WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) works with businesses and individuals to help them to reduce waste, recycle more and increase the use of recycled and recovered materials. As part of the ‘Halving Waste to Landfill’ initiative, Gatwick is contributing to the UK government’s goal of halving the amount of construction, demolition and excavation waste being sent to landfill by 2012.  
 
In 2010, Gatwick reused or recycled approximately 98% of its construction waste - a significant contribution towards this industry’s target. For example, around 169,000 tonnes of waste were generated when Gatwick built six large aircraft stands last year. Rather than sending lorry loads of waste to landfill, Gatwick reused the materials to build a giant bund to screen nearby villages from the new aircraft stands. The waste was also reused to prepare the ground for the new concrete stands and build temporary roads while the works were carried out.
 
Ray Melee, Director of Capital Projects said, “We are delivering more than 120 major construction projects in a £1 billion programme to improve the facilities for our passengers and airlines. Each project has a range of impacts on the environment from the movement of lorries transporting materials to and from the airport, to the disposal of construction waste to landfill. We are working hard to reduce the impact of those works on the environment.
 
“For example, by overlaying the old tiles in the south terminal arrivals and departures area with new tiles, we are preventing 1,620 tonnes, that's 9,300m2 of tiles - the equivalent in size to 46 tennis courts - being transported off the airport to be recycled. It also means that we are cutting down on approximately 90 lorry movements."
 
Moving forward, Gatwick will be working closely with its architects and designers to ensure ‘sustainable thinking’ is part of the planning and design stage, so that innovative solutions can be integrated into each project. By doing this, Gatwick hopes to reduce the overall amount of construction waste that might otherwise have been generated.
 
Gatwick’s long-term target is to ensure 90% of all construction waste is re-used or recycled by 2020 as part of its Decade of Change strategy which outlines the airport’s 10-year targets and commitments on sustainability.  
 
Find out more about Gatwick’s ‘Decade for Change’

Media enquiries to:
Gatwick Airport press office
Tel: + 44 (0) 1293 505000
Email: gatwickmedia@gatwickairport.com