Sea-Tac Airport moves to all reusable, compostable food service materials

The Port of Seattle announced this week that Sea-Tac Airport (SEA) has implemented a new requirement mandating that all airport food service providers use only reusable or approved compostable food service ware and packaging.

Starting this month, the Port says that all airport tenants who provide food service in the terminal must now use only reusable or approved compostable food service ware and packaging at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). This includes restaurants with sit-down service, tenants with to-go service, lounges, and catering groups.

This new directive is in support of SEA’s goal to divert 60% of all terminal waste from landfills, SEA is working with tenants to ensure all noncompostable products like cups, bowls, and utensils are replaced by approved products.

“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. “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.”

Since 2017, SEA has had food ware service rules, but the new mandate eliminates plastic and plastic-lined service ware in favor of certified compostable alternatives. This change aims to capture more food waste for composting, reduce confusion for travelers about waste sorting, and prevent food-contaminated products from being incorrectly disposed of. In 2023, SEA collected 1,394 tons of waste for composting, representing a third of the airport’s annual landfill diversion.

“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,” said Lance Lyttle, Managing Director, SEA Airport. “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.”

“It’s important we all do our part and be conscious about where we source our food to the packaging we utilize, because it affects us all,” said Max Heigh, founder of Sam Choy’s Poke to the Max. “We think it’s our responsibility to do as much as we can to look out for future generations.”

SEA’s composting process

Approved compostable products are plant-based; commercial compost facilities can break them down for use in agriculture or landscaping. In the case of SEA, all certified products are approved by Compost Manufacturing Alliance, a third-party group that ensures they’re free of toxins and meet composting standards. SEA sends its compost to the Cedar Grove facility in Maple Valley to be processed into soil. Once ready, SEA purchases the soil for landscaping and construction projects.

For the passengers

SEA has instituted multiple customer-facing sustainability initiatives, including 27 water bottle refill stations throughout the airport, and four Oscar the AI trash sorters in the Central Terminal, North Concourse, South Concourse, and C Concourse. Every innovation helps SEA reach its overall goals; this new measure will make participating that much easier for passengers enjoying the many food vendors the airport has to offer.