Creative donation idea gets off to a positive start at Frankfurt Airport. In the past returnable bottles and cans at Frankfurt Airport often ended up in the trash. The result: a lot of waste and “wasted” deposits. Since December of last year, passengers and visitors to Germany’s largest aviation hub have had the option to put the deposits on their returnables to good use – with over 46,000 bottles and cans already having been donated. As a result, the 10,000 euro mark was cracked last week after only the first three months.
“Even we didn’t expect it to be such a success,” reveals an enthusiastic Martina Pfeffer, Head of Terminal Management at Fraport AG. “The campaign is evidence that it is often the little things that improve our service and allow our passengers to travel with a positive feeling.” A total of 25 bottle-return machines located in the two passenger terminals are easily accessible and offer every passenger or employee at the airport the opportunity to do a good deed, no matter how small. “Indeed, our staff also make full use of the service to donate their bottle deposit return,” states a visibly proud Pfeffer.
Donors select the organization that they wish to donate to.
They can choose between international organizations, such as the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Wings of Help (humanitarian airlifts), or support regional organizations such as the Frankfurter Tafel, an organization that donates food to the needy in Frankfurt, and the Franziskustreff, a Frankfurt-based charity that helps the homeless. The donations are paid out every three months.
In 2013, Frankfurt Airport welcomed more than 58 million air passengers.