Recycling Best Practices—A Guidebook for Advancing Recycling from Aircraft Cabins (2013)

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10 This guidebook is intended for individuals and organizations responsible for or interested in expanding recycling of deplaned waste at U.S. airlines, airports, and flight kitchens. Infor- mation about improving airport-wide and passenger terminal recycling strategies has been addressed elsewhere by the U.S. EPA, FAA, and others and is not a focus of this publication.13 This guidebook focuses on U.S. domestic flights, as regulations governing the handling of materials from international flights can make recycling more difficult. The term flight kitchens, unless otherwise defined, is used broadly to cover all flight pro- visioning operations, including both contracted catering operations and in-house airline activities for providing food, beverages, snacks, and associated service items to aircraft. Definitions of other terms used in this guidebook are included in Appendix A. Best Practices Airlines, airports, and flight kitchens all influence the recycling of materials that enter aircraft cabins and the waste that is deplaned. Thus, best practices for recycling include activities under- taken by each of these parties. This guidebook focuses on five key best practices—identified through industry research—that are advancing aviation recycling across the country: • Best Practice #1. Secure top-down and bottom-up commitment to boost recycling par- ticipation and results. • Best Practice #2. Make purchasing choices that facilitate recycling and reduce waste. • Best Practice #3. Maximize recycling by separating materials in flight. • Best Practice #4. Track, evaluate, and share data on program performance to promote transparency and support continuous improvement. • Best Practice #5. Make recycling part of everyday business and celebrate success. These practices are intended to fully utilize and expand on the existing airport- and airline- managed systems for handling deplaned materials, described in the “A Partnership for Advancing Recycling” section, recognizing the variability in recycling services across the country. Four recycling best practices summary sheets, included in Appendix B and available for down- load at www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/169528.aspx, summarize key practices described in this guide- book for the following audiences: • Airlines • Large-hub and medium-hub airports Recycling Guidebook Overview

Recycling Guidebook Overview 11 • Small-hub and non-hub airports • Flight kitchens Supporting Research This guidebook is based on extensive research conducted from 2010 through 2012 with air- lines, airports, and flight kitchens throughout the United States regarding existing systems and best practices for recycling materials from passenger aircraft. The research included the following: • Analysis of surveys completed by 66 airports and 8 airlines14 • Field research visits to 11 airports of varying sizes, 6 major airlines plus their regional partners, and flight kitchens at selected airports • A literature review, including more than 30 reports, journal articles, and other publications Figure 4 shows a map of airports that participated in surveys and field research. Airlines that participated in the research are the following: • Alaska Airlines • American Airlines Figure 4. Map of airports that participated in surveys and field research.

12 Recycling Best Practices—A Guidebook for Advancing Recycling from Aircraft Cabins • Great Lakes Airlines • Delta Air Lines • Southwest Airlines • United Airlines • US Airways • Virgin America The following flight kitchens also participated in the research: • Gate Gourmet • LSG Sky Chefs • In-house airline provisioning operations at Southwest Airlines and Horizon Air (part of Alaska Airlines) Appendix D provides more information on the research conducted under ACRP Project 02-15.