MALAYSIA, 5 June 2020 - To celebrate World Environment Day, AirAsia is delighted to share that as part of the company’s ongoing sustainability efforts, a total of 112 tonnes of cabin waste, equivalent to a whopping two Airbus A320 aircraft, were collected and recycled in 2019!

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), in 2018 alone, global airlines generated around 6.1 million tons of cabin waste. AirAsia recognises this is a growing challenge for all airlines and understands the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling cabin waste from our flight operations.

AirAsia Group Head of Government Relations, Global Affairs & Sustainability, Shasha Ridzam said: “We are aware of the impact that all airline activity has on the environment globally. Hence, we are taking our commitment to reducing our own footprint seriously. The cabin waste collection programme is just one initiative in AirAsia’s extensive sustainability programme and is how we practise Sustainability Spirit, our 7th Allstar core value. Simple practices like collecting and managing onboard waste including newspapers, paper towels and plastic bottles really can have an extremely positive outcome. We’re very pleased with the result of our cabin waste reduction program in 2019 and would like to thank our airport partners and guests for their support and participation.”

What Is Cabin Waste?

Cabin waste is made up of two main streams which are cleaning waste and catering (galley) waste. Cleaning waste is leftover rubbish from items given to passengers on the aircraft such as newspapers, paper towels, plastic bottles, food dropped on the floor, amenity kits and plastic wrapping from blankets, pillows and headsets. Cleaning waste also includes the contents of washroom bins and medical waste such as used syringes. Catering waste comes from inflight meals, snacks and beverages served to passengers and can consist of leftover food, drinks and packaging which is placed back in the trolleys, in static or compactor bins. This waste can contain high volumes of liquid from unconsumed beverages and ice.

Managing Cabin Waste - A Collective Effort

As the 13th largest airline in the world, we take pride in offering excellent connectivity within the region, but we are equally mindful of the impact our operations may have on the environment. Through a group-wide effort, relevant departments include inflight operations, cabin crew, and airside support team go through training and workshops to learn about cabin waste management with a sustainable approach.

Not all waste on board is recyclable. Mixing of recyclable and non-recyclable waste can cause cross-contamination, which leads to undesired consequences. At AirAsia, our cabin crew are well trained for cabin waste characterisation and segregation. Do you ever notice the two types of trash bags our cabin crew use to collect trash at the end of a meal service? All non-recyclable items go to the transparent bag while recyclable items go to the green bag. After each flight, all trash bags will be offloaded and picked up at the airside and transferred to designated waste bins or recycling storage for collection.

Embracing The Less Is More Mantra: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Is there anything an individual can do to minimise cabin waste? Passengers are encouraged and welcome to bring their reusable water bottles, coffee cups and even utensils onboard. Or, simply support our recycling initiatives by discarding your trash to the right bag when flying with us. We strongly believe that when collective effort comes together, we can achieve more by consuming less.

Creating a sustainable future is not something anyone or an organisation can achieve alone. Together, let’s act today #ForNature, for a better and sustainable future.

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About AirAsia Sustainability:

As the biggest airline in ASEAN, and one of the biggest in Asia, we recognise the immense responsibility that we have towards our stakeholders in ensuring we operate safely, responsibly, and with integrity. This has formed the basis of our sustainability efforts over the years and will continue to drive our future performance.

We also acknowledge that as the leading low cost carrier in this region, a lot more can be done beyond our operations to ensure that we create a net positive impact to the environment and the communities that we serve. To address this, our sustainability initiatives are anchored on three pillars; economic, environmental, and social. In 2019, we announced Sustainability Spirit as AirAsia’s 7th Allstar value with a long-term vision to build AirAsia as a sustainable brand that makes positive and lasting impacts.

World Environment Day: AirAsia building a sustainable future starting with cabin waste