SEATTLE (Recycling Monster): In an effort to decrease the amount of waste that ends up in landfills, the Denver International Airport (DIA) announced the start of a trial waste management program in Concourse B.

The airport's Vision 100 strategy plan, which aims to get the airport ready to handle 100 million passengers annually over the coming years, includes the Zero Waste Valet program. By 2045, the airport should be ready to handle more than 120 million people annually, according to Operation 2045, the second phase of the strategic plan.

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In collaboration with the compost company Scraps, the Zero Waste Valet initiative was introduced in June of last year. Scraps is in charge of sorting waste, recycling, and compostable materials from Concourse B's participating eateries and businesses as part of the initiative. By this summer, the airport hopes to have 100% of the Concourse B businesses included in the program, up from the current 50%.

Many of the businesses were disposing of all of their waste in one bin before the trial. Businesses have benefited greatly from the program's efforts to educate them about what is and is not compostable.

According to airport sustainability specialist Alexa Rosenstein, the program was enthusiastically accepted and businesses were eager to participate.