Mumbai: Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), is a proud flag bearer of green initiatives in the Indian aviation industry and is delighted to announce that the airport has installed Reverse Vending Machines (RVM) to encourage passengers and the airport community to recycle plastic bottles. This new addition will facilitate CSMIA’s commitment to incorporating sustainability in all aspects of their business and to achieve zero waste to landfill by reducing and recycling waste. CSMIA is a single-use plastic-free airport since 2019. This initiative aims to spread awareness of recycling single-use plastic waste. The added advantages would be a reduction in indirect emission of carbon in the PET bottle manufacturing process which is part of CSMIA’s drive to the “Net Zero” carbon emission.
The airport emphasises the need to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Set into two phases, Phase I of the project three RVMs have been installed at Terminal 2 and three more will be installed at Terminal 1 in the second phase. The machine, each of which has the capacity to accept and compress 450 bottles per hour and can compress about 70 per cent of the waste so that it can be easily 
transported to recyclers thus saving key resources, emissions, and cost liable for transportation and logistics. In 2019, CSMIA initiated the plastic ban in all its logistics and operations including retail, food and beverages, and partner airlines processes. Implementation of this initiative made CSMIA 100 per cent single-use plastic free. Moreover, in the long run, the RVMs will help reduce carbon emissions by approximately 125 tCO2e annually, with about 85 tons of allowed PET water bottle waste being recycled.
Features and Benefits of Reverse Vending Machines at CSMIA:
- RVMs are safe, user-friendly, easy to operate
- Interactive 16” touchscreen will guide users to get the reward coupon and donation through SMS.
- The machines are patented and spill-proof as they only accept empty plastic bottles
Speaking about this milestone at the airport, CSMIA’s spokesperson said, “At CSMIA we take pride in our values, customer focus, and passion for excellence, all this by keeping sustainability as our central goal. As a global airport, over the years we have implemented various path-breaking green initiatives be it with regards to carbon neutrality, utilisation of solar energy, recycling waste and generating organic compost, and releasing a sustainability report as per the GRI standards, among many such initiatives. Having already initiated a plastic ban in 2019, installation of RVMs is an addition to aid in the reduction of resource consumption, waste reduction, indirect carbon emissions, and every action in our fight against Zero Landfill Waste.”
The RVMs have a unique feature of rewarding the user for recycling PET bottles with Zingbus, Myntra, Swiggy coupons, and many more options. To avoid the use of paper in printing, a few coupons offer will be shared with RVM donors through SMS.
With an increased focus on being a partner to the national mission of developing green infrastructure for Indian mobility needs, CSMIA’s unwavering ESG and Sustainability commitments have added another feather to its cap when it comes to pioneering sustainable shifts in the aviation ecosystem. CSMIA has continued to provide superior passenger experience with a motto of creating a ‘Gateway to Goodness’ which is not just synonymous with excellence but also boasts of operations that are aligned to our vision of achieving ‘Operational Net Zero Carbon Emission’ by 2029.
