Aerospace

Birmingham Airport recycles unwanted suitcases

Posted 16 October 2019

Birmingham Airport recently arranged its first suitcase collection as part of its new partnership with Newlife – the Charity for Disabled Children – wherein empty suitcases discarded by passengers are being donated to Newlife to be resold and reused in one of their six stores across the country, with any cases deemed unfit for purpose being recycled by Newlife.

Courtesy Birmingham Airport

Newlife provides essential equipment and support for disabled and terminally ill children across the UK and the partnership forms a key part of Birmingham Airport’s Environmental Policy in reducing waste and the continual improvement and responsible use of resources.

Empty suitcases disposed of by passengers would usually be sent off to the airport’s general waste streams. With this new partnership, the suitcases are now being donated to six of Newlife’s stores based in Shropshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Wirral – with a new store coming to Yardley, Birmingham in the coming months. Each suitcase sale will fund Newlife’s vital core care services.

Fourteen suitcases have been collected from the airport this week, with the potential to divert a total of two tonnes of general waste from incineration in one year. Any suitcase deemed unfit for purpose will be recycled by Newlife to continue the reuse and recycling of products.

Kirstin McCarthy, Head of Sustainability at Birmingham Airport said: “This partnership is a key part of our on-going commitment to reduce the amount of waste we produce, along with the disposal of resources in the most responsible way. The profits of each suitcase sold will go direct to Newlife, aiding the life changing support they provide every day for disabled and terminally ill children across the UK.”

Colin Brown, Commercial Director at Newlife explained: “We’ve built up our recycling operation over almost 30 years and are proud to be working with Birmingham Airport by becoming its recycling partner.

“By working with Newlife small changes have a far bigger impact than most can imagine helping to change the lives of hundreds of disabled children across the UK.”