It’s been estimated the average air passenger leaves behind three pounds of trash when deplaning. It breaks down to 33% discarded or uneaten food, 28% paper and cardboard, and 12% plastic. (The rest must be soda cans and all those little liquor and wine bottles.) When you multiply that by four billion passengers per year, you’re looking at a sky-high pile of trash that airlines need to dispose of. At London’s Heathrow airport, they collected 6.7 million tons just last year alone. And as the tourism industry continues to grow, they expect those trash figures to double.
The world’s airlines know they have a problem because all that trash must go somewhere when it lands. And in their commitment to curb their environmental footprint, the search is on to find more ecological ways to reduce it. Which could cause some surprises when flight attendants plunk down future serving trays
First to go might be the tray itself, replaced by one concocted from coffee grounds and husks. In addition, pressed wheat bran for dishes and, instead of cutlery, a single spork made of coconut palm wood that looks like it’s made of plastic. For salads and side dishes, they are looking at banana leaves as lids. And they might serve desserts on edible waffle cones. Now, if only the airline food could be as creative as the serving ware.
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