How to Have a Low-waste Flight

Flying is often the biggest contributor to many of our personal carbon footprints. About 2.4% of global CO2 emissions are from the aviation industry, which may not sound as much as you might expect. However, including the gases and water vapour trails aircraft produce means flights are responsible for around 5% of global warming.

The obvious solution is to simply not fly to eliminate these carbon emissions. That’s not realistic for many people who fly for work, to visit friends and family, and to enjoy a well-deserved holiday somewhere warmer than the UK. Instead, more of us aim to offset the carbon emissions from flying in other ways.

Unless you’re an engineer working on fuel efficiency improvements for aircraft, the best way you can have a positive environmental impact is by thinking about how you fly. It’s not just the aeroplane that contributes to carbon footprints when flying. Use the following expert tips to have a low-waste flight the next time you take to the skies.

Reducing waste when flying starts well before you get on board the aeroplane. With a little bit of preparation, you can eliminate and minimise small amounts of waste for your journey. These are a few easy ways to prepare for a low-waste flight:

• Download your boarding pass – save paper by downloading your boarding pass onto your smartphone. Most airlines have their own apps, and you can save the boarding pass to your phone for use offline (or take a screenshot to be safe). Check this is fine, as some airlines and airports do require you to print your boarding pass.
• Buy a reusable transparent toiletry bag – save plastic and stress with a reusable clear toiletry bag. Most of the thin plastic zip-lock bags at airports for your liquids are used once and then binned, often going to landfill or being incinerated. Buy a reusable transparent plastic toiletry bag that you can pack at home, so you’re prepared, and you can use it for multiple flights. It’s a great way to reduce plastic waste.
• Purchase a sustainable suitcase – get a suitcase or travel bag that’s built to last and ideally one made from recycled materials. It won’t completely offset the carbon footprint of your flight, but it goes a little way.
• Create a zero-waste flight kit – prepare for the airport and your flight by putting together a zero-waste kit. Pack an empty reusable water bottle to fill up at a water fountain in the airport to eliminate buying a plastic water bottle. Take a travel mug and ask for any hot drinks to be poured into it rather than being handed a disposable coffee cup. Cloth handkerchiefs and napkins, reusable plastic cutlery, and low-waste toiletries like bars of soap and shampoo and a bamboo toothbrush are other sustainable ideas.

Before boarding your flight you’ll likely have a couple of hours to kill in the airport (assuming you arrive early enough). Sitting around with little to do is when temptations that create waste can arise. Follow these steps to avoid doing anything that results in avoidable waste:

• Avoid duty-free – lots of items sold in airport duty-free shops come in tamper-proof plastic bags. This is to protect them but creates additional plastic packaging waste that you wouldn’t get in most other shops. Resist the temptation to save a couple of quid and walk fast past duty-free.
• Eat and drink in – forgot your sandwiches? When you’ve got time it’s best to eat in at one of the restaurants, cafes, or fast food joints in an airport rather than buying food for the plane. This avoids excess packaging waste from snacks and sandwiches you’ll throw away on the flight. Having a pint or soft drink in one of the bars also eliminates glass or plastic waste as it should be served in a glass that’s washed and reused. Sustainable and refreshing!
• Refill water bottles – all airports should have free water fountains. Rather than buying bottled water take an empty reusable bottle with you and fill it up before you board. You can’t take full bottles through security but should be fine to bring along an empty one.
• Washroom etiquette – use hand dryers rather than paper towels when drying your hands in airport bathrooms.

The Aviation Sustainability Forum (ASF) Audits estimates that flying produces 3,600,000 tonnes of cabin and catering waste each year. This includes everything from leftover food scraps, drinks cans and bottles, snack wrappers, and other bits of packaging. Unfortunately, it often all gets thrown away together and not recycled after landing.

The easiest way to avoid waste on a flight is to simply not buy anything onboard. Bring your own food and drink where possible and take away any recyclable rubbish, such as plastic bottles and empty drink cans. You can put them in a recycling bin at the airport your hotel, or when you get home.