Airport Security Gets a Shade Greener

At Baltimore Washington International Airport this weekend, I noticed there are now recycling bins outside the x-ray machines! After the Transportation Security Administration implemented a rule banning containers of liquid larger than three ounces, piles of plastic bottles in trash cans just outside the screening area were commonplace. Nice to see that's finally being addressed, at least at BWI.

I thought about trying to take a cell phone camera picture for posting here, but I didn't feel like getting pulled out of line for the full body cavity search. I hope you can understand.

Recycling in NH: Not So Much

The Green Miles traveled to New Hampshire for work last week as the National Wildlife Federation released a new poll asking NH hunters and anglers how they feel about global warming (short version - they think we have a moral duty to future generations to take strong action now).

While New Hampshirites have gotten the message on global warming, they seem to be a little behind on recycling. The Manchester Airport had only one type of waste bin, the kind that goes straight to a landfill. As I've blogged before, airports vary greatly when it comes to recycling programs, and the Manchester Airport definitely has some work to do.

It was even worse when I got to the hotel. I don't expect hotels to have recycling bins in their rooms (it would be nice, but we're just not there yet). However, usually the hotel front desk is happy to accept my old newspaper and soda bottle to be recycled. Not at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott in Concord. The front desk clerk told me they don't recycle at all. Fortunately BWI Airport has a wicked awesome recycling program, so I didn't have to drag the recyclables all the way home.

Since I've never had trouble before, I've never asked the hotel if they accept recycling before booking. Do I need to start? What are your experiences with recycling at hotels?

Airport Recycling: Flying from One Extreme to the Other

The Green Miles is in Palo Alto, CA this week for the Society of Environmental Journalists conference, where my employer, the National Wildlife Federation, is a sponsor. Ironically enough, the conference is on the campus of Stanford University, which rejected The Green Miles as a potential student (gulp) 12 years ago. Fortunately Syracuse University welcomed The Green Miles as an Orangeman and the rest is history.

I took Metro to West Falls Church this morning, then hopped on the Washington Flyer bus to Dulles Airport. I was reading the Washington Post on the bus, then looked to recycle part of it when I got to Dulles. Unfortunately, when I got there I learned the waste management at Dulles amounted to a trash can. That's the best they can do?

Considering I'd already brought my reusable coffee mug along for the cross-country trip, I was willing to carry my newspapers until I could find a recycling bin. Sure enough, at San Francisco Airport I found a recycling bin labeled "CONTENTS RECYCLED OFF SITE." That basically means instead of relying on us unreliable chuckleheads to drop recyclables in their correct containers, they pay their waste hauler to sort out the trash from the recyclable materials.

Oh, and I just realized I have a photo of a recycling breakthrough at Reagan National Airport. Until recently, National didn't have any recycling at all, but as I was flying out in August, I noticed these new cardboard bins.

In the DC area, the far-and-away leader in recycling is BWI Airport. Check out more details here.

Want to know how to set up a recycling program at the airport in your community? Check out the EPA's website!