Iberia implements Madrid environmental initiatives to reduce airport vehicle emissions and recycle solid wastes

Iberia has begun testing a telemetry system for refuelling its ground services vehicles at its T4 hub at Madrid-Barajas Airport. The fuel measuring system is expected to reduce consumption by 5 per cent and carbon emissions by 520 tonnes per year, the equivalent, says the airline, of planting some 2,600 trees. As part of Iberia’s waste reduction and recycling programme, a new recycling centre has recently been set up at its La Muñoza industrial site near the airport, part of plans to help the airline group reach its ‘zero solid waste’ target within the next few years.

The fuel measurement initiative is a feature of Iberia’s Agora project, a strategic plan to improve efficiency at its T4 hub, which also includes increasing punctuality and enhancing customers’ travel experience.

The telemetry system uses wireless links installed in fuel trucks, allowing radio communication with chips installed on each piece of ground equipment. A reader on each vehicle will monitor engine running time and distance travelled. The devices provide a real-time basis for computing fuel consumption and requirements.

The system is to be installed in the four units used to refuel Iberia’s near 1,000 handling service vehicles at the airport.

Meanwhile, Iberia has implemented a new solid waste management system at its Madrid installations, plus a new system for managing hazardous waste at all Spanish airports, in cooperation with Cespa Conten, a leading environmental services and waste management company in Spain and Portugal owned by Ferrovial.

Iberia estimates that it had managed to recycle about 50% of all solid waste produced by its operations during 2011.

At the La Muñoza recycling centre, waste is segregated and placed in different containers or compactors for recycling. Iberia also has an agreement with Ecoembes, a non-profit that designs and develops systems for the selective collection and recovery of used packaging and packaging wastes, to optimise the recovery and recycling of food and beverage containers and packaging. Ecoembes supplies the bins in which various types of containers are collected after sorting by Cespa Conten.

This is expected to lead to the recycling of some 160 tonnes of waste each year that was formerly sent directly to landfills.

Fonte: Greenaironline