Airline spearheads recycling of cabin waste
All aluminium, plastic, glass and paper used in flights is to be recycled on landing by Monarch Airlines.
The scheme has been introduced on flights operating into Gatwick following an initial trial on a selection of services in the summer.
All recyclable items, such as aluminium drinks cans, plastic wine and water bottles, glass wine and Champagne bottles plus newspapers/magazines will be placed into a separate recycling bag by cabin crew during the flight.
This will be passed over to cleaning staff at Gatwick on arrival for recycling.
The move follows a passenger poll which found that only 16% of passengers said they believed that airlines are doing enough to recycle onboard waste.
Monarch, which runs a fleet of 31 aircraft, is pioneering the scheme ahead of other UK carriers as part of a ‘Monarch and the Planet’ initiative where all aspects of the airline’s business are being evaluated to improve its environmental footprint.
The carrier also plans to introduce biodegradable alternatives to replace items that can not be recycled due to food contamination; carrier bags used for the duty free service being replaced by biodegradable bags, plus in-flight magazines being printed on paper from trees grown in sustainable forests.
Managing director Tim Jeans said: “Monarch has been operating a paper collection scheme onboard its flights for a number of years now but feedback from passengers and crew highlighted the fact that the recycling of other items, such as plastics and cans, is a part of everyday life now which people wished to continue – if they were at home they’d be recycling the items, so why should they not do so on flights?
“With 70% of the waste generated in the cabin being potentially recyclable, Monarch has been working with Gatwick Airport on the initiative to ensure that the recyclable waste is removed from the aircraft on arrival and recycled appropriately.
“We are looking to extend the scheme to include all Monarch’s flights over the coming months and we urge our other UK and European airports to introduce the necessary recycling infrastructure to allow us to do so.”
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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