Melbourne Airport commits to becoming single-use plastic-free

Melbourne Airport (MEL) has announced its commitment to ensuring that all front of house hospitality venues and lounges are single-use plastic-free by the end of 2021. The airport will put an end to the distribution of traditional plastic items, such as single-use straws, cutlery, plates, drink stirrers and expanded polystyrene food and drink containers. 

The majority of the airport’s front of house venues are already reducing plastics by switching to sustainable and recyclable options like bamboo. However, the new commitment will see the remaining venues and lounges adopt a plastic-free stance by the end of 2021, well ahead of the Victorian government’s 2023 deadline. 

Delaware North, which has operated a wide range of food and beverage services at Melbourne Airport since 1990, is already seeing huge benefits after eliminating single-use plastic straws from its operations. Delaware North estimates, that since launching its ‘Last Straw’ campaign several years ago, the company has prevented the use of more than 500,000 plastic straws by passengers at Melbourne Airport. The company is in the process of eliminating all single-use plastic from its venues within Melbourne Airport and will complete the process by the end of 2021. 

Melbourne Airport’s Chief of Aviation, Lorie Argus, said that the ambition to reduce single-use plastics by the end of 2021 highlights the airport’s commitment to environmentally friendly practices: “While the Victorian government has mandated a ban on all single-use plastics by February 2023, Melbourne Airport will stop the purchase and distribution of single-use plastics across our front of house venues and lounges at the end of 2021 as part of our continuous improvement programme around waste management.”

“We know that pollution and waste management is a major concern for travellers, so we’re proud to announce this significant step as part of our traveller experience work stream. We’re looking forward to working with our tenants to find sustainable, recyclable alternatives to single use plastic,” she added.