Plastic-wrapped blankets, plastic-wrapped earbuds, plastic-bagged snacks, plastic drink cups—the amount of plastic used in air travel is huge and the industry generates millions of tons of plastic waste each year.
But with increasing awareness about worldwide plastic pollution, the airline industry is exploring ways to reduce its plastic waste, according to a July 9, 2019 article in Vox. Options include using compostable silverware, swapping plastic cups for paper ones, and instituting on-board recycling facilities.
Experts quoted in the article said that tackling the in-flight plastic problem is complicated. For example, to properly dispose of compostable items, systems must be put in place. “Any solid-waste-management tool only works if there’s a system to manage it,” said Megan Epler Wood, director of the International Sustainable Tourism Initiative at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Although climate change-causing engine emissions are typically considered the biggest environmental impact posed by airplanes, Epler Wood thinks the issue of cabin waste should also be a top priority. “Tourism and climate change are a very significant global issue and it does relate to both carbon emissions from flights and the supply chains that service those flights. And that includes solid waste,” she said.
Read the Vox article: Basically everything you’re given on an airplane is wrapped in plastic. That’s a huge environmental problem.