Onboard recycling now available on short flights to Ireland

Aer Lingus is the first airline to offer this option in a bid to add another dimension to sustainable travel

Aer Lingus is the first airline in Ireland to offer onboard recycling for trash generated during the flight. This is available on short-haul flights headed to Dublin and Cork airports. The aim of the national carrier is to recycle 20 percent of onboard waste by the end of the year.

The figure is then expected to rise to 50 percent by 2025. In other words, this will translate to 720 tonnes of trash a year when the halfway milestone has been reached.

Aer Lingus also promises to gradually extend this option to include long-haul flights over time.

We know from our customers that recycling is something the vast majority wish to see happen and this new on-board initiative complements other positive steps we are taking on our aircraft, including the use of more sustainable materials and reducing single-use plastics on-board,” commented Lynne Embleton, CEO of Aer Lingus.

Only for waste not contaminated by animal products

The airline began its waste segregation experiment at the end of last year and now it has decided to roll it out on a regular basis for certain flights.

The one thing that was problematic was packaging that contained traces of animal by-products. European regulations governing international catering waste were imposed in 2002 following the Foot and Mouth disease outbreak, which inhibited the recycling of onboard waste.

However, the Irish Department of Agriculture has confirmed that recycling can apply to any waste coming into the country that is not contaminated by animal by-products.

Meanwhile, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has given Aer Lingus an IEnvA Stage 2 Certification for its work in reducing carbon emissions across flight operations and corporate facilities. And this is another first for an Irish airline.