Reducing aviation waste at Emirates
EMIRATES, September 24, 2011 -- Global air travel generates thousands of tonnes of paper, plastic and food waste every day. Although most of the waste generated by air travellers is recyclable, it is estimated that airports and airlines only collect 20 per cent for recycling, according to the US-based Natural Resources Defense Council.
Aircraft parts are also recyclable. The Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA) has set a target of salvaging 90 per cent of the materials from aircraft by 2016.
What are we doing?
In February 2010, Emirates Flight Catering introduced a dedicated team to recover recyclable materials from on board waste, as well as recovering recyclable materials from the meal production process, and the numerous airport lounges it provides catering services to at Dubai International Airport.
Emirates’ sister organisation, the dnata ground handling company, implemented a recycling program for its Aircraft Appearances Team, which cleans Emirates and other airlines' aircraft on arrival in Dubai.
In August 2010, Emirates Engineering began an extensive aircraft interiors refurbishment program for 33 Boeing 777 airplanes. A local recycling company was engaged to strip down the aircraft interiors’ components, fittings and fixtures into several streams of saleable, recyclable materials.
What is the result?
In the 2010/11 financial year, Emirates Flight Catering recovered the following quantities of recyclable materials:
- 1,082 tonnes of paper and cardboard
- 115.4 tonnes of assorted plastics (including plastic meal lids, PET bottles and other items)
- 47.2 tonnes of aluminium cans
- 27.9 tonnes of aluminium foils
This resulted in a total quantity of 1,274 tonnes of recyclable materials being diverted from landfill, and a cost recovery of nearly US$270,000.
In addition to this figure, the dnata Aircraft Appearances Team recovered over 2,040 tonnes of waste paper and cardboard from aircraft cabin cleaning at Dubai International Airport. These materials were sent for recycling into cardboard and cartons at a Dubai-based paper mill.
In just 8 months from inception, Emirates Engineering recycled over 64 tonnes of materials from its aircraft interiors refurbishment programme, including:
- 25.4 tonnes of aviation grade aluminium
- 8.9 tonnes of polycarbonate plastic
- 24.1 tonnes of textiles and leather
- 2.5 tonnes of carpet
- 0.5 tonnes of cables
- 0.4 tonnes of electric motors/actuators
Emirates Engineering recovered a further 53.1 tonnes of recyclable materials from its general workshop waste stream, including:
- 3.1 tonnes of scrap metal
- 3.6 tonnes of plastic containers
- 43.4 tonnes of cardboard and paper
- 2.9 tonnes of steel and tin cans
Going forward, Emirates is also in the process of implementing recycling services for over 20,000 Emirates Group staff in company accommodation, including some 72 apartment buildings and 2,500 houses in Dubai.