This thesis focuses on developing a centralized dishwashing service with the goal of reducing the amount of disposable tableware waste generated at Avinor Oslo Airport. Moreover, the project aims to help Avinor Oslo Airport achieve its objective of becoming a zero-waste airport by 2030.

The research process followed the Triple-diamond model, facilitating a structured approach through mainly three phases: Understand, Ideate, and Develop. The ‘Understand’ involves the study of the literature review, analysis of existing practices, field research, and stakeholder interviews to gain an understanding of the context. During the ‘Ideate’ phase three concepts were developed and evaluated through iterative testing and feedback. Finally, at the ‘Develop’ phase, the final concept, Green Circles, is developed. Green Circles is a centralised dishwashing service for reusable takeaway containers, that allows passengers to drop the containers at drop-off machines at the boarding gates and airport exists.

The implementation of Green Circles is expected to significantly reduce single-use tableware waste at Avinor Oslo Airport. The study highlights the importance of stakeholder engagement, convenient passenger experience, and efficient operational integration. Broader implications suggest that similar services could be adopted in other airports, contributing to the aviation industry’s sustainability efforts, such as those proposed by TULIPS.

This master thesis explores the design and implementation of a sustainable, centralised waste logistics system at Oslo Airport. The project aims to address the challenges of waste management in a high-traffic environment by creating a comprehensive product-service system. The focus is on enhancing waste disposal efficiency, ensuring proper waste separation, reducing waste and promoting circularity within the airport terminal.

The literature review, including qualitative research articles and other published texts, established a theoretical foundation for the project. Key themes from the literature include the importance of centralised waste management systems, the role of technology in waste logistics, barriers to keep in mind that could hinder the transition towards circularity, and the significance of stakeholder involvement in designing sustainable solutions. Semi-structured interviews and observations were conducted to gather insights from various stakeholders, such as food and beverage managers, waste collectors, and store employees at Oslo Airport. And also at other, similar locations. These findings underlined the critical need for a streamlined, efficient waste management system that can adapt to the operational complexities of a major international airport. The identified main problem area’s at Oslo Airport were sub-optimal information provision regarding waste management, a lack in motivation among the people to reduce waste and recycle properly and logistical constraints within the airport infrastructure.

The primary research question guiding this thesis is: "How can a comprehensive product-service system be designed to establish a sustainable and centralised internal waste logistics system at Oslo Airport terminal?"

The design outcome of this project is a conceptual service design tailored for Oslo Airport. The proposed service includes a centralised waste disposal intervention in the form of container hubs placed throughout the terminal, a feedback system for improper waste separation, and a weighing solution for waste measurement, supplemented with a financial disincentive mechanism to stimulate waste reduction. The design leverages advanced technologies such as QR codes for traceability of the waste, cloud data storage, and Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) to enhance operational efficiency. The developed service provides a detailed visualisation of the service and its touchpoints, although further physical development and elaboration of certain components are required.

In conclusion, this thesis presents a strategic and innovative solution for waste management at Oslo Airport, emphasizing sustainability and efficiency. The findings highlight the need for further research to generalise the results across different contexts. Future work should focus on the scalability of the proposed system and addressing the technological dependencies to ensure robust and continuous operations. The project demonstrates the potential of a holistic, centralised waste logistics system to transform waste management practices in the aviation industry.

The project was structured according to the double diamond model and has four different phases; discover, define, develop, and deliver (Design Council, n.d.).

The first phase is the discover phase, which started with research on the packaging industry, the context of the project at Oslo Airport, and the eco-impact of packaging. This phase underlined the different beneficial functions of packaging. However, it also showed the massive impact packaging has on damaging our environment and the complexity of the packaging industry. This complexity comes from the different values of stakeholders, but also from a lack of communication, making it hard to implement change in the industry. From an airport operator position, such as Avinor, it is impossible to reach zero packaging waste without collaboration, as essential changes need to be made from the product source up. To tackle and minimize packaging waste it is required to collaborate with stakeholders throughout the whole supply chain, which is why this project highlights collaboration. Nevertheless, there are many circular solutions already available on the market. However, these solutions are not yet fully optimized to reduce CO2 emissions over the entire product life cycle.

This creates a conflict: while reducing packaging waste at Oslo Airport is the main goal of Avinor and this project, it may not always contribute to achieving a net zero footprint, which is the main objective of TULIPS.

While visiting Oslo Airport different problem areas regarding packaging waste at Oslo Airport were identified. These areas are; single-use pallets, milk packaging, secondary packaging, cardboard, plastic foil, waste station layout/signage, and communication.

In the define phase, the goal for the deliverable was set. Since it was discovered that the packaging industry is complex and implementing existing interventions to minimize waste is not always beneficial, a roadmap to a packaging waste-free future was established as one of the design outcomes alongside a concept for one of the problem areas. This roadmap utilizes the research insights to set goals and propose design interventions for packaging waste reduction in operational processes. As for the concept, the direction of redesigning the layout and signage in the waste station was taken. The design goal set was to; “enable workers who are returning packaging solutions to easily detect the designated areas for these items, enhance trust in the circular packaging economy, and increase capacity for future circular solutions”

In the develop phase the concept and the roadmap were drafted and iterations were made after testing. In the deliver phase the outcomes were presented. The concept makes use of different methods of wayfinding, optimizes the space with signage, and proposes a new layout. A visualization of the redesigned waste station is presented at the end of the report.

This report delves into the intricacies of sustainable consumer behavior, in the context of Schiphol airport. Schiphol airport is a large airport with large numbers of passengers. These passengers also create waste, which is discarded of. Schiphol has the aim to be zero-waste by 2030.
PET bottles and cans could be seen as a big contributor in the waste streams of Schiphol. This was concluded from research that was executed by TULIPS.
An opportunity for this project was found, as PET bottles and cans are a great option for recycling. This means that ideally these beverage containers should have their separate waste stream. Drawing upon Fogg’s behavior model (2009) as a foundational framework, design opportunities could be found. The model proposes that behaviour is a combination of three key factors: motivation, ability and triggers. In this context, motivation is explored in terms of environmental concerns, while capability is divided into
components such as time, money and physical effort, among others. Triggers, on the other hand, are categorised as sparks, facilitators and signals, each playing a different role in influencing behaviour. The research further delves into practical applications, with a focus on Schiphol and the challenges of PET bottle and can collection. Through a series of brainstorming sessions and idea generation exercises, participants created visual ideas and potential solutions. A final design is proposed which consists of an add-on at the current waste bins at Schiphol, and a campaign proposal. The report concludes with a series of recommendations and insights into what the final design could offer Schiphol as it moves towards a more sustainable future.

This graduation project focuses on the problem of solid waste, specifically passenger waste at Schiphol Airport. The project aimed to enhance passenger separation behaviour to reduce the amount of residual waste that would be incinerated.

The project began by exploring the FF3 bin's context, including its attributes, pilot tests, waste mapping, and user ecosystem. Design conclusions were drawn to align bin elements with Dutch recycling standards, enhance signage visibility, accommodate waste types, prioritize separation, and consider user perspectives. Insights were gained through stakeholder interviews, observations, and engagements with relevant organizations like airports and bin manufacturers. Design adjustments included organic waste separation, cultural diversity accommodation, and communication enhancement. Behavioural analysis using the FOGG model led to strategies for improved separation ability and motivation, accounting for cultural differences. These conclusions formed the problem statement, which could be translated into a roadmap. The roadmap guides actions to enhance waste separation ability and motivation. The iterative design process utilized this foundation, leading to the 'Time To Waste' proposal integrating an FF3 bin skin, campaign, and projectors. This project offered Schiphol insights into how to tackle its zero waste and circular goals, along with a strategic plan for others to achieve similar objectives.