Airlines generated 5.7 million tonnes of cabin waste in 2017, and as passenger numbers increase, the volume of waste could double in the next 10 years, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Airlines around the world have recognised the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling waste. From analysing passenger consumption data and using compostable cups and dishes, to donating non-perishable food items and introducing on-board recycling of bottles and cans, airlines are committed to preventing cabin waste from ending up in landfills and incinerators.
Challenges
- In-flight catering operates under strict food safety, hygiene, freshness and weight requirements, so plastic wrapping is often the go-to option.
- On-board waste, including leftover food and drink packaging, passengers’ newspapers, paper towels and plastic wrapping from headsets and blankets are all subject to national waste management controls that limit pollution.
- Many countries have gone further with their regulations and imposed strict controls on catering waste from international flights based on animal health concerns. The rules, formulated to avoid the international transfer of diseases such as foot and mouth, dictate that airlines treat catering waste as high-risk and either incinerate it or bury it in deep landfill, which prevents reuse and recycling. As these regulations mean airlines’ hands are tied, the industry advocates the adoption of smarter waste regulation, allowing more recycling while maintaining human and animal health controls.
Flexible catering
To ensure passenger satisfaction, airlines often stock more food than required on board flights. Flexible catering is one way that airlines can curb waste. By tracking consumption over time, airlines predict which meals and drinks are most popular on any given route and adjust stocks accordingly.
Pay-as-you-go
Another solution is the pay-as-you-go approach, where travellers order meals before a flight – widely used by low-cost carriers but also increasingly by other airlines. Passengers only buy what they consume, which reduces the amount of untouched food that must be thrown away.
- In 2022, SWISS launched an initiative to enable passengers on its short- and medium-haul flights to pre-order menu items, to avoid unused food waste.
Reducing on board waste
Reliance on plastic contributes to the on board waste issue, but an increasing number of airlines are introducing alternative packaging and recycling solutions to minimise waste. Some examples are provided below.
- Delta Air Lines began testing new paper cups on board its transcontinental flights as from December 2023. This will help eliminate nearly 7 million pounds – the weight of 1,300 pickup trucks – of single-use plastics on board annually.
- Iberia pledged to reduce 200,000 kg of plastic on its flights in 2023 as part of its Zero Cabin Waste project, by replacing cutlery, stirrers and plastic straws with ones made from more sustainable materials and eliminating plastic packaging where possible.
- Emirates has adopted a closed loop recycling programme to give plastic items a new life. Instead of sending everything to landfill, meal trays and bowls are washed, ground down and made into new ready-to-use products.
- The Qantas Group’s ambition is to have zero single-use plastics by 2027 and zero general waste to landfill by 2030. Between 2019 and 2023, they removed / replaced more than 200 million single-use plastics from their operations.
Combating food waste
- Air New Zealand launched its Project Green in 2017. Unused items from flights that would have previously been treated as waste are put on a subsequent flight, provided they sealed. This has enabled more than 1,500 tonnes of in-flight waste to be diverted from landfills.
- Virgin Australia and Qantas are partnering with OzHarvest, Australia’s leading food rescue organisation. OzHarvest collects between 6,000 and 8,000 kg of quality excess food – or 18,000 meals – per month from Virgin and Qantas and delivers it directly to more than 1,300 charities across the country. The food saved from domestic flights include pre-packaged sandwiches, wraps, muffins, muesli bars, snacks and juices. During the Covid-19 pandemic, when many planes were grounded, Virgin Australia donated 6,000 excess meals in one week alone, which also diverted three tonnes of food from landfills.
Workwear and recycling innovations
- In 2023, Korean Air created and donated 500 first aid pouches upcycled from used pilot and cabin crew uniforms.
- Delta partnered with Loopworks in 2018 to transform over 1 million pieces of retired employee uniform (over 350,000 pounds) into laptop bags, travel kits, home insulation and punch bag filling. The project marked one of the largest single company textile diversion programmes in U.S. history, where no items went to landfills or incineration.
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In 2021, Easyjet introduced cabin crew and pilot uniforms made from recycled plastic bottles. Over the course of five years, this will avoid 2,700,000 plastic bottles from ending up in land fill or in oceans. The high-tech material is made using renewable energy sources and has a 75% lower carbon footprint than traditional polyester.
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Finavia’s old staff uniforms have been given a new life as tables and benches. Through a partnership with TouchPoint, a company that specializes in manufacturing ecological work clothes, tables and benches were installed at Helsinki Airport made from composite materials, using a combination of textile and plastic waste.
Innovative airport recycling
One by-product of air transport’s rapid growth is the amount of waste from airports. Waste is generated from a variety of sources, including retail outlets and restaurants, airport offices, restrooms, flight catering centres, air cargo terminals, aircraft and ground service equipment maintenance facilities and landscaping and construction projects.
To mitigate the environmental impact of waste and comply with regulatory requirements, airports are increasingly implementing sustainable waste management systems.
- In 2019, London Stansted Airport became the first airport worldwide to convert its coffee waste into solid biofuels. The airport partnered with bio bean, the world’s largest recycler of coffee grounds. Over 150 tonnes of coffee waste is generated at the airport annually. The coffee grounds are converted into coffee logs that can be used in domestic wood burners and multi-fuel stoves, which saves 80% in CO2 emissions compared to if they were sent to landfills.
- Vancouver International Airport uses a variety of measures to reduce waste, including recycling, composting and facilitating incentive programmes for partners conducting audits. It surpassed its ambitious target of diverting half the waste produced at the terminal from going to landfill by 2020. This was achieved in 2016. The airport supplemented long-standing recycling programmes with community engagement initiatives and installed a centralised food court sorting station. This organic waste recycling programme dramatically increased their waste diversion.
- A different type of recycling programme was developed by Portland International Jetport in collaboration with Inland Technologies. Together, they created a recycling programme to recapture the superfluous aircraft de-icing fluid after it is sprayed on planes and turn it back into de-icing fluid. It is the first recycling programme of its kind in the United States and Portland Jetport became the first airport in the country to use 100% recycled aircraft de-icing fluid.
End of service (aircraft recycling)
An aircraft will typically remain in service for around 20-25 years. During that time, it will fly on average 40,274,144 kilometres – over 1,000 times around the world – with some long-haul aircraft flying over 100 million kilometres!
Once it reaches the end of its useful life, 85% to 90% of the aircraft (by weight) can be recycled. This ensures proper disposal, but also takes advantage of the many high-quality components and materials. The industry is optimistic that current recycle rates can be maintained as technology advances.
The Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA) is working with some 90 companies such as manufacturers of aircraft and engines, component suppliers and operators, to establish best practices for aircraft and component disposal and recycling. These organisations recycle over 150 aircraft and 30,000 tonnes of aluminium every year. Manufacturers are also ensuring new aircraft are designed not only for a long, safe and efficient life, but also for end-of-life opportunities.
Materials such as carbon fibre present new challenges for aircraft designers in finding ways of dealing with the materials when no longer in use. Processes are being developed to recycle these materials once the aircraft reaches the end of its useful lifespan.