Sustainability

PCA and GPU utilization is a key strategy to reduce air emissions by allowing aircraft to turn off their Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) and not use jet fuel when parked at the gate.

DEN has worked with our community partners, our neighbors and our stakeholders to ensure that the land around the airport is protected. The continued vibrancy of the land around DEN is a high priority as we look to the future.

The airport has been a model for energy efficiency and daylighting since it opened in 1995. Denver International Airport’s Jeppesen Terminal was designed to exceed energy conservation standards. More than 20 years later, we continue to build high-performing, energy efficient buildings while working to continually improve our existing facilities.

DEN has worked with airlines to create opportunities to grow, even as we’re staying true to our commitment to responsible development. The Great Hall renovations are tracking to become LEED credentialed as well. By drawing on elements like natural daylight, high efficiency heating and cooling equipment and photovoltaic energy generation, we’re creating a new way to expand for the future.

DEN is in the process of building a new glycol recycling facility that will allow recycled deicing fluid to be reused onsite. As part of the Energy Performance Contract (EPC) agreement, standard fixtures within public restrooms have been replaced with low-flow toilets and urinals.

Year after year, DEN collects about 70 percent of the deicing fluid applied on aircraft each season. Annually, this prevents 1.5 million gallons of aircraft deicing fluid from being released into the environment.

DEN takes waste reduction and diversion very seriously at DEN. In 2022, we were proud to keep our core diversion programs going strong, including single-stream recycling, luggage donation and wooden pallet and plastic film recycling. DEN re-established programs that had been impacted by the pandemic including compost collection and food donation. Our airport concessionaire compost collection program reached pre-pandemic levels of almost 20 tons per month, which resulted in the highest landfill waste diversion rate in DEN’s history.