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Home » News » This Problem Cost Airlines $5BN Last Year
NewsUnited Airlines

This Problem Cost Airlines $5BN Last Year

Matthew Klint Posted onApril 1, 2017April 1, 2017 8 Comments

I suppose it should come as no big surprise, but airlines generate a lot more waste than I ever imagined.

According to a Guardian report—

Airline passengers generated 5.2m tonnes of waste in 2016, most of which went to landfill or incineration, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates. That’s the weight of about 2.6m cars. And it’s a figure set to double over the next 15 years.

2.6MN cars per year of waste?!

The figure above does include toilet waste, but still…

Where does it all come from? Think about it — the plastic or foil containers in which meals come in, plastic utensils, wrappings for pillows and blankets, newspapers and other items left onboard, and of course all the leftover food. One United FA told me that it is a “crime” how much food is wasted on an eastbound transatlantic flight since so many passengers just sleep.

And it’s not like that food can be donated to charity upon arrival in Europe. Strict European Union animal health legislation labels catering waste arriving from beyond EU borders “high-risk”. That means perfectly good food must be burned or buried.

How Iberia Plans to Reduce Waste by 80%

Iberia plans to reduce waste by 80% by 2020 through several initiatives. First, it is mandating FAs separate waste and providing special cabin trolleys to make this easier. Second, it is exploring “low-packaging meals and reusable cutlery”. Third, it wants to use technology to cut down on loading too much food. For example, by tracking passenger meal preference by frequent flyer number, it hopes to better anticipate onboard consumption and thereby eliminate waste.

United EcoSkies

United’s EcoSkies program aims to reduce landfill waste by 27 tons. United FAs also sort trash and the carrier has introduced new compostable paper cups:

United_Airlines_New_Coffee_Cup
UNITED

Remember our discussion about unused amenity kits earlier this week? The Guardian reports that United is also cutting waste by donating unused amenity kits to charity.

CONCLUSION: It Makes Financial Sense Too

This isn’t just an issue of saving the environment, it is one of saving money. Managing this waste cost airlines roughly $5BN last year. Perhaps this is where all parties can come together. Airlines further the dual goal of increasing profit and cleaning the environment by reducing waste. I think we can all agree that is a worthy goal to pursue.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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8 Comments

  1. Lack Reply
    April 1, 2017 at 2:06 pm

    Not like the US CBP would be all fine and happy about letting food (or booze, a rose in an LH F cabin) from a flight from the EU go anywhere but the dump.

  2. A Reply
    April 1, 2017 at 2:54 pm

    I thought this was some kind of April Fools article where you’d suggest some outrageous/funny plan to use waste to power the aircraft or something like that.

  3. r m h Reply
    April 1, 2017 at 9:28 pm

    i am a dumpster diver…on the ground…and you will not believe this but it is true :

    i have spend precisely $0 on food for the past 2 years and 3 months.

    and, i am eating spinach and kale salads, dark chocolate with almonds, raisin bran with organic skim milk, chobani yogurt, every variety of apple you can imagine, hummus, pistachios, granola bars galore, etc etc.

    the waste in the sky is crazy. because they shove a plate upon you with things that you did not choose to eat. if we could somehow figure out how to reposition this food…….

    • Matthew Reply
      April 2, 2017 at 3:13 am

      Just be careful. I had two friends who died doing this (they bin-hopped something bad at a grocery store…).

      • r m h Reply
        April 2, 2017 at 9:52 am

        thanks. yeah, i’m uber-careful.

        your two buddies that died…man, sorry. did they die from something they ATE…OR…from falling or “hopping” into a bin and an injury from such??

        • r m h Reply
          April 4, 2017 at 9:54 pm

          ???????

  4. Mser Reply
    April 1, 2017 at 11:57 pm

    What the H is the abbreviation MN? Million is commonly abbreviated as M or MM. But never MN…

  5. Mser Reply
    April 1, 2017 at 11:58 pm

    And billion is B, not BN.

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