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

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13 Airline and airport recycling programs are often initiated by an individual champion or a small group of committed employees, such as a “Green Team.” Programs yielding the most impressive results have gained support, buy-in, and leadership across organizations where • Recycling is a corporate value and norm. • Employees take pride in contributing to and improving upon recycling programs. • Executive leadership sets goals, tracks progress, and rewards success. Why Is This Practice Important? Executive leadership (top-down) and frontline employee commitment (bottom-up) have enabled airlines, airports, and flight kitchens to increase recycling throughout their organizations. Successful recycling programs rely on participation from individual employees and contractors. Every time someone handles a material, they can choose to recycle that item or dispose of it as waste. Organizations that are recycling are reaping the following benefits: • Cost savings from avoiding waste disposal • Revenue from selling recyclable commodities • Enhanced employee morale • Improved environmental performance • Positive customer feedback Key Steps to Gaining Commitment The following section explains three steps to gaining commitment from both executives and frontline employees at airlines, airports, and flight kitchens: 1. Gain support from executive leadership. 2. Recruit and empower champions. 3. Establish an interdepartmental Green Team. Step 1: Gain Support from Executive Leadership Executive-level support is a key to success in advancing recycling programs. In some cases, executive commitment to recycling has served as the inspiration and motivation for establishing specific recycling programs. In other cases, champions within airline, airport, and flight kitchen Best Practice #1. Secure Top-Down and Bottom-Up Commitment to Boost Recycling Participation and Results

14 Recycling Best Practices—A Guidebook for Advancing Recycling from Aircraft Cabins organizations have recruited executive sponsors by communicating the financial, marketing, and environmental benefits of a company-wide recycling program, including those summa- rized in Table 2. Effective executive sponsors establish recycling as an organizational priority and set specific and aspirational goals. They also regularly communicate with employees, con- tractors, and passengers regarding organizational commitments and progress toward meeting stated goals. Committed to Recycling In 2007, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa directed Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) to develop a sustainability plan, which included goals related to recycling. As a result, the airport dedicated additional staff resources to oversee the recycling program. LAWA Deputy Executive Director of Environmental Services Roger Johnson established a goal to reach 70 percent airport-wide recycling by 2015. Step 2: Recruit and Empower Champions Successful recycling programs have benefited from enthusiastic employees and managers who • Promote recycling to their coworkers and to others in the industry • Provide ongoing training and troubleshooting assistance to other employees • Bring new ideas forward to improve existing programs • Report back to supervisors, managers, and other employees on progress in meeting goals • Take personal responsibility for the success of the recycling program Airlines, airports, and flight kitchens with successful programs recruit and cultivate pro- gram champions. These individuals may serve in frontline positions, such as flight attendants and airport recycling coordinators, bringing relevant insights for how to make a program work on the ground. Champions can provide leadership and coordination to the organization’s Table 2. Key recycling benefits. Financial Captures cost savings from reducing quanes of waste disposal Generates revenues from selling valuable recyclable commodies, such as aluminum cans Markeng Meets increased customer demand for green services Keeps up with industry trends Avoids negave media coverage Environmental Reduces use of virgin materials, energy, water, and polluon associated with producon of new materials Limits greenhouse gases, toxic chemicals, and other polluon associated with landfilling or incinerang waste materials

Best Practice #1. Secure Top-Down and Bottom-Up Commitment to Boost Recycling Participation and Results 15 efforts: from designing and launching a recycling program, to refining and sustaining momen- tum over time. Organizations with successful recycling programs have supported opportunities for recy- cling champions to share their ideas, successes, and excitement with others in the organization. Recognizing these recycling champions for their initiative and leadership through awards and other forms of public recognition supports program success. Airlines can identify and honor recycling champions among flight attendants with “recycler of the month” awards, columns in in-flight magazines, or announcements in employee newsletters, blogs, and listservs. Airports can recognize airlines, cabin service companies, terminal maintenance personnel, and flight kitchens for exceptional recycling participation through airport websites, annual reports, newspaper articles, and signage in passenger terminals. Flight kitchens, like airlines, can acknowledge kitchen crews handling recyclables through “recycler of the month” awards and announcements in company communications. Championing Success Kathy Hues, Alaska Airlines onboard food and beverage specialist, was asked by her director to join Green Team meetings to determine how to start in-flight recycling. With the support of Alaska’s Green Team, Kathy championed in-flight newspaper recycling, which started in 2007. Alaska Airlines has since expanded the program to include aluminum cans, plastic and glass bottles, juice containers, paper coffee cups, plastic meal platters, and mixed paper. Step 3: Establish an Interdepartmental Green Team Airlines, airports, and flight kitchens with successful recycling programs often convene cham- pions and other key representatives in Green Teams. These Green Teams typically include at least one representative from each major department. They meet regularly and are generally charged with the following responsibilities: • Informing recycling and other environmental goals and targets approved or set by company leadership • Developing, coordinating, and leading new environmental programs • Reporting back to leadership on progress and lessons learned • Celebrating and recognizing successes Ultimately, Green Teams serve as a communication and management hub to keep activities coordinated, consistent, and cohesive. More established Green Teams can develop a charter, vision statement, goals, and an annual work plan to keep the team focused and productive. Whether formal or informal, Green Teams have served to kick-start new programs, improve on existing ones, and sustain momentum over time. In addition, Green Teams help to insti- tutionalize recycling, ensuring that organization-wide commitment and programs continue beyond the involvement of founding champions and initial leadership.

16 Recycling Best Practices—A Guidebook for Advancing Recycling from Aircraft Cabins Green Teams and Executive Commitment Jackie Drumheller, Sustainability Manager, started Alaska Airlines’ Green Team in 2007. Pilots, flight attendants, purchasing specialists, and administrators all participate on the team. In 2010, Alaska’s CEO declared that “recycling is the standard” for the airline. Corporate, executive-level support was inspired, at least in part, by the Green Team’s efforts. During an October 2011 planning session, Alaska’s Green Team executive sponsor Keith Loveless, Vice President for Legal and Corporate Affairs, communicated that one of the company’s focus areas in the next 5 years was to “position Alaska Airlines as the industry leader in environmental stewardship.” The airline’s receipt of several business and environmental awards in recent years highlights its progress.