Now let's forget fuel for a minute and talk about other forms of pollution. One thing that always shocks me is the amount of material waste -- namely plastics, paper, styrofoam and aluminum -- generated and thrown away by airlines (and their customers). Take the number of trays, cups, soda cans, snack wrappers and discarded reading material produced during the average flight and multiply it by the 40,000 or so daily commercial departures around the world. In the U.S. nearly 2 million people fly daily. That's a minimum of 2 million plastic cups alone, just in this country.
A few days ago I was working a flight from Europe to the United States. I went aboard early to set up my gear in the cockpit, and afterward took a walk through the cabin. The cleaners were still at work dealing with the leftovers of 200-plus passengers who'd just disembarked. What they'd left behind was a sight to behold. It looked as though a cyclone had blown through the 767. There were hundreds of cups, cans, wrappers, newspapers and magazines lying on, around and under the seats. I spotted dozens of fabric eyeshades -- included in the airline's giveaway amenities kits -- strewn around the floor where people had casually discarded them. By the time the cleaners were finished, they'd packed three industrial-size bags full of detritus. And this isn't counting the trash that had already been collected during the flight by the cabin crew.
How much of this stuff is recycled, and do we really need to generate so much of it in the first place? Some simple measures would go a long way toward reducing and reusing.
During flight, cabin staff typically come around and collect everything in a single trash container. Flights are often short and cabin service needs to be quick, but it would not take elaborate efforts to throw cans into one bag and plastic cups into another. And obviously, if we weren't creating such a mountain of trash, we wouldn't have to worry so much about what to do with it. For instance, would it not be a good idea to offer passengers the option of receiving a cup? I am often handed a small container of juice and a cup, even though it would be perfectly acceptable to drink directly from the container. On longer flights with multiple beverage services, cups are collected and thrown away each time, instead of allowing passengers to reuse the first one. Not only would cutting down the number of cups be more environmentally friendly, it would also save money. (Fold-down cup holders are a seat-back option available on most Boeing and Airbus planes, but so far I've encountered them only on non-U.S. carriers.)
And is it just me, or is the packaging of airline food (what still exists of it) extravagantly wasteful? The other day on a flight to New York, when snacks were given out, each passenger got a lidded plastic tray and, even though the small roll-up sandwich could easily be eaten by hand, a plastic knife and fork wrapped in a plastic envelope. Forgive me for not having a scale on hand, but my snack consisted of approximately 7 ounces of petroleum-derived plastic and 3 ounces of actual food. A few minutes later I asked for an orange juice, and received a small plastic bottle and, naturally, the requisite plastic cup to go with it, dropped onto my tray table before I had the chance to say no.
According to a spokesperson for the Airline Transport Association, the industry's main trade group, whether an airline recycles usually depends on whether such services are available at a particular airport. "Recycling of materials generally reflects the availability of recycling opportunities in the localities where airlines fly," says the spokesperson. "The airlines and their service partners seek and take advantage of recycling opportunities where they are available. ATA and the associations that represent the airports are working to expand recycling opportunities to more locations."
Maybe, but airlines themselves can make it happen if they choose.
Once again, it's Virgin Atlantic whose efforts are the most comprehensive and impressive. The company's statement reads as follows: "Virgin Atlantic's Onboard Recycling Program asks passengers to hand in glass bottles and cans and leave newspapers on their seats to enable recycling. Cabin Crew members collect cans and bottles separately than typical waste product, to make sure items are recycled or thrown away properly. Along with recycling newspaper, the expired in-flight magazines are thrown in the recycling bin as well. All items onboard that can be re-used are accounted for. Virgin Atlantic feels these small efforts should be a universal task for all airlines. This, combined with the weight reduction program, will help us achieve our target waste reduction of 50 percent less to landfill by 2012."
Impressive, though again Virgin is comparatively tiny, and it's no real surprise that a European carrier is leading the charge. What about some of the U.S. majors?
"We are the only U.S. carrier to release a comprehensive environmental disclosure," says American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner, "covering everything from carbon emissions to recycling. We are ahead of most of our competitors in this regard." Wagner says that airport vendors take care of the materials separation and recycling after landing, and that flight attendants are responsible for can collection. The cans are recycled, and money from deposits is then donated to charity.
Similarly, Delta says that it recycles all aluminum, plastic and paper products on domestic flights into its Atlanta megahub, with proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity. Delta flight attendants collect approximately two and a half tons of material for recycling each week. Additionally, Delta has reduced water consumption by 50 percent at its Technical Operations Center in Atlanta, and has introduced several hundred electric vehicles to its airport ground support fleet.
While a few airlines are stepping forward, the industry has, for the most part, been pretty halfhearted in its efforts. There's plenty more they could do, much of which would benefit not only the environment but their bottom lines as well.
Do you have questions for Salon's aviation expert? Contact Patrick Smith through his Web site and look for answers in a future column.
About the writer
Patrick Smith is an airline pilot. His column is archived here.
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