Seventy-five percent of waste generated by passengers of U.S. airlines and airports could be recycled or composted, according to a new study by the non-profit National Resources Defense Council (NRDC). However, average recycling rates of the airline industry were found to be around 20%, even lower than the national average (31%). While most U.S. airports and airlines have yet to embrace a rigorous recycling program, those that have are receiving great benefits--saving well over US$100,000 annually.
The Consequences of Flight
Air travel has grown rapidly over the past few decades as a result of an increasing world population and continued globalization. In addition to aviation's contributions to global warming through the emission of greenhouse gases, NRDC's report, Trash Landings identifies that airline industry waste, which amounted to 425,000 tons in 2004 and is expected to increase by 45 percent by 2015, is another large and costly environmental problem.
The results of NRDC's report show that:
- Nearly 1.3 pounds of waste per passenger are generated every day. This number is roughly one-third of the average American's daily waste production.
- The U.S. airline industry throws away an amount of aluminum equivalent to 58 Boeing 747 airplanes every year.
- 9,000 tons of plastic and enough papers and magazines to fill a football field 230 feet deep were thrown away in 2004.
The Benefits of Recycling
Airports such as Seattle-Tacoma, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Portland, and Baltimore-Washington are realizing the advantages of centralized waste management and effective recycling programs.
For example, the Seattle-Tacoma airport increased recycling rates by 800 percent between 2000 and 2005. By initiating creative solutions for waste disposal, including the composting of used coffee grounds and the transfer of used cooking oil to a diesel fuel company, the airport saved enough energy in 2004 to power 149 households and reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by an amount equivalent to the removal of 485 passenger cars from the road for an entire year. They also cut costs by US$180,000.
Scaling up these types of recycling programs to all airlines and airports nationwide would have significant positive financial and environmental effects:
"If airports and airlines matched the average U.S. recycling rate, it would save enough energy to power 20,000 U.S. households. Heat-trapping carbon emissions responsible for global warming, equivalent to the pollution from 80,000 cars, would be eliminated." (Official press release)
Source: NRDC, 2006. Trash Landings: How Airlines and Airports Can Clean Up Their Recycling Programs
RELATED LINKS:
