Tracking progress, setting ambitious goals

Since 2012, we’ve increased our waste diversion rate from 38% to 54% while reducing the amount of garbage generated per passenger by 27%. These milestones reflect years of dedicated work, made possible by the support and creativity of our partners and community. And we are not stopping there. As outlined in our recently launched 2025-2027 Environmental Sustainability Plan, we are committed to advancing our waste diversion rate to 60% by 2027, with a long-term vision of becoming a zero waste airport by 2040 – or more simply, a waste diversion rate of at least 90% for the Main Terminal. Over the next few years, we will be laying the groundwork and developing a Zero Waste 2040 Action Plan, which will serve as our roadmap for achieving this ambitious vision.

Celebrating collaboration and leadership

Reducing waste is a shared effort. That’s why we’ve launched initiatives like Waste Wars, our cross-terminal challenge that brings together airport employees to learn, engage, and compete in fun, educational ways. Designed to spark behaviour change and improve waste sorting accuracy, the program was recently recognized with the FAB Airport Sustainability & Environmental Initiative of the Year for the Americas, a testament to the strength of our collaborative approach to environmental responsibility.

We also recognize others making a difference through our Green Excellence Awards. Last year’s Community Eco-Champion Award went to the Fairmont Vancouver Airport, whose team collected more than 50 pounds of waste from YVR loading docks and McDonald Beach. They also hosted a community thrift shop to promote reuse and circular economy thinking. Their efforts show how environmental care can be part of daily operations.

A circular partnership in action: ChopValue

A standout partner in our waste reduction journey is ChopValue, a Vancouver-based company that transforms used chopsticks into high-performance products. Since 2017, ChopValue has collected more than 1.5 million chopsticks from YVR’s food courts—diverting material from landfill and saving over 77,000 kilograms of CO₂e emissions.

Their creations are now part of the YVR experience and demonstrate our ongoing commitment to embedding circular economy principles as part of our Zero Waste strategy. More than 456,000 chopsticks have been repurposed into furniture, awards, and custom items found throughout the terminal. This includes handcrafted Green Excellence Award trophies, food court tabletops, staff giveaways, and most recently, the new tabletops at Purebread. These are the latest examples of how we integrate circular design into the airport environment.

See the impact for yourself

Curious to see how chopsticks become tables, trophies, and more?
Watch our video for a behind-the-scenes look at ChopValue’s transformation process and how they’re turning everyday waste into meaningful products.