Retailers have begun using biodegradable boxes and covers only to reduce the plastic footprint.

India’s Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport has declared itself single-use plastic free, beginning this month.

The announcement was made today (17 March) by operator GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL), a joint venture led by the GMR Group in association with the Airports Authority of India, Government of Telangana and Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad.

Feeding into the Indian government’s campaign to eradicate single-use plastics by 2022, Hyderabad Airport has taken a zero-tolerance approach to single-use plastic usage across its premises, affecting concessionaires and service providers.

“It is the culmination of a collaborative effort spanning many years, and we are thankful to our service providers and concessionaires who have supported the initiative in a proactive manner and have been sensitive to the call to make Rajiv Gandhi International Airport a single-use plastic free airport,” commented SGK Kishore, CEO, GHIAL.

F&B outlets now use sustainable alternatives such as cornstarch plates, wooden spoons and forks.

ECO-FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVES

The airport has already taken strict measures on single-use plastic.

In February, it rolled out the ‘Single-Use Plastic Free Airport’ campaign as part of a final phase effort in steadily phasing out non-recyclable plastic over the past few years.

All plastic cutlery from F&B outlets and any carry bags of less than 50 microns in thickness have been removed.

Retailers have begun using only biodegradable boxes and covers to reduce the plastic footprint, while F&B concessionaires have switched to sustainable, eco-friendly alternatives like com starch plates, alongside wooden spoons and forks.

Some plastic items exempted from the measures cover security tamper-evident bags (STEBs), sealed PET bottles and pre-packaged materials produced by manufacturers for sale purposes.

Meanwhile, an efficient waste management model allows dry and wet waste across the airport to be disposed of using twin bins.

“In addition to phasing out of single-use plastic, we are also […] taking up widespread awareness and sustainability campaigns to integrate the entire airport community to work and preserve the environment,” added Kishore.