What happens to airline waste?
Who would have guessed that international waste management was a hindrance to sustainable recycling methods? Due to concerns of international biohazardous wastes, which can threaten local biomes and environments, many countries practice incineration of airline waste. In an interview with Cathay Pacific (CP) worker “B”, we learned about her initiatives to combat the waste and emission footprint.
I: What motivated you to get involved in this initiative to remodel airline waste?
B: As a flight attendant, I spend most of my time on planes or airports. About 4 years ago, I remember reading reports of many marine animals being found with ocean plastic in their stomachs, which made me interested in handling plane waste. After attending the Hong Kong Airport's sustainability courses by their sustainable development department, I learned a lot about how airports were adapting to emerging waste policies. The introduction of waste levee in HK encouraged the HKIA to substitute paper towels with hand dryers, as the paper is highly absorbent of water and can increase waste tax charges. This design thinking approach opened my eyes to approaching airline waste handling systems with a new view and thus I got the courage to approach my department to help with my ideas.
I: What suggestions and changes did your airline implement to become more sustainable?
B: My project included developing an I flight recycling system. A very small percentage of the waste treatment from airlines is done by airports, and planes usually only have one bin due to limited space. If the airline doesn't support waste separation, it usually goes into that one bin, and usually foreign planes are considered as international waste, which has to be incinerated by regulations. International waste cannot be recycled unless there's a special agreement between the airline and the government of that country. Therefore, having means for the cabin crew to separate the waste before putting it in the bin is a crucial step for airline recycling. My department ended up with a contract for the HK catering service to allow recycling for HK bound flights of CP, which is one of the most popular airlines of the HKSAR. However, coming up with such contracts is not always easy since it really depends on how compliant the airports receiving the airlines are.
I: Do you think airlines are becoming more conscious of their waste production and taking better initiatives to recycle?
B: There are certainly more initiatives now than there were before for airplane waste recycling. For example, Qantas has a recycling system, although it only applies for flights going back to Australia. I would wish there to be more programs like these, hopefully airlines like CP and Qantas inspire the majority of airlines to consider better recycling practices. As much as sanitation and hygiene are important, we need to realize that if we don't do it sustainably we only end up polluting our planet. So is that really hygiene?
I: How important do you think policy is in handling international waste issues?
B: Policy is definitely very important in managing international waste - because policy is what defines these categories of waste in the first place. However, policies also need to be evolutionary and up to date with the current situation of the environment and the industry, otherwise they will benefit nobody. Just like how HKIA has been receptive to CP’s suggestions, other airlines and government authorities need to consider revising their classification of waste and try to do their best to accommodate recycling and waste reduction as much as possible. There is so much potential for accessing recycled materials as well as composting from airline waste, as airlines usually are very busy (with the exception of the current pandemic). Despite how much this industry is suffering at the present time, this is a good opportunity to test new technological systems and approaches to deal with problems that we will face once again once things go back to normal.
You can learn more about international waste handling in the airline industry via the following resources:
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