Monarch introduces first onboard flight recycling service
By admin on Nov 13, 2007 in Recycling, Featured, Environment, News, Home & Garden, Business
Budget airline Monarch has launched a scheme to recycle the packaging used on its flights in a bid to reduce its carbon footprint. The scheme is the first in the UK and will initially run on flights into Gatwick Airport.
During such flights, cabin crew members will place recyclable items such aluminium drinks cans, plastic wine and water bottles, glass wine and champagne bottles and newspapers into separate recycling bags. These recycling bags will then be passed on to staff at Gatwick.
Tim Jeans, the managing director of Monarch Airlines, explained the rationale behind the scheme.
“Monarch has been operating a paper collection scheme onboard its flights for a number of years now,” he said, “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?”
Mr Jeans also said: “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.”
As well as introducing this recycling initiative, Monarch is planning on introducing various other measures to improve its carbon footprint. The airline is planning on using biodegradable carrier bags for duty free sales and have in-flight magazines printed on paper from sustainable forests within the next few months.
mirco | Nov 26, 2007 | Reply
it’s about time