Waste not, want not at Schiphol Airport
Grass clippings from Schiphol Airport are to be used to produce 100,000m2 a year of panels for use in construction projects and as furniture.
Ecor is producing the panels, which will be used at the airport for ceilings, partition walls at construction sites, furniture and flooring.
“In view of safety, we regularly cut the grass at Schiphol to make it unattractive to birds, “ said Mirjam de Boer, director of asset management at Royal Schiphol Group. “All the grass that would go to waste now gets a second life by serving as raw material. This is fully in line with our ambition to be a waste-free airport in 2030. We aim to be fully circular in 2050.”
Schiphol has about one thousand hectares of grassland around its runways and will now be supplying Ecor with grass cuttings to be used as the raw material for new products. An added benefit of this recycling is that the CO2 stored in the grass will not be released, said the airport. During processing, the grass is cleaned and pressed without the use of chemicals.
Schiphol and Ecor have been collaborating on the development of these panels over the last few years. Before starting large-scale production, the panels were extensively tested for practical use at the airport. They are certified, fire-resistant and have the same level of quality as MDF panels.