As specified in the Sustainable Airport Manual™ (SAM®), the CDA requires all projects to maximize water efficiency within buildings to reduce the burden on the municipal water supply and wastewater systems and to also limit or eliminate the use of potable water for landscape irrigation.
The CDA is committed to reducing its environmental footprint through efficient recycling, reuse, and management of non-hazardous and hazardous wastes generated at O’Hare.
The CDA's single-stream recycling program - provides the collection of mixed paper - (office paper, newspaper, magazines, cardboard, paperboard, telephone directories) and containers (steel cans, aluminum cans, glass bottles, and plastic bottles) in a single recycling container. This increases the ease and convenience of recycling so more people participate. The recyclables are collected and hauled off-site for processing.
Common batteries used in office settingsand trade workshops can contain mercury, cadmium, and other toxic material. To keep these from the conventional waste stream, landfills, and ground water, the CDA maintains battery collection points in multiple work areas for safe, simple access by employees. These batteries are then disposed of properly and recycled to the greatest extent practical.