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Suggested Citation:"Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Recovering International Recyclables from In-Flight Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25813.
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Page 8
Suggested Citation:"Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Recovering International Recyclables from In-Flight Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25813.
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Page 8
Page 9
Suggested Citation:"Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Recovering International Recyclables from In-Flight Service. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25813.
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1 Summary Introduction The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) mandates that regulated (i.e., international) waste or ‘International Recyclables from In-Flight Service’ (IRIFS) can be handled only by a person or business with a compliance agreement with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). In general, waste from arriving international flights is disposed of by incineration, sterilization, or grinding into an approved sewage system. The USDA APHIS Recycling Material Exemption identifies situations in which materials can be recycled. However, in most cases, these materials are still disposed of rather than recycled. Similar global practices are prescribed in most airports around the world. The Airport Cooperative Research Program identified that research was needed to uncover opportunities for increasing the share of international waste that is recycled. When exposed to certain foods or fluids, recyclables arriving on international flights are required to be quarantined due to potential contaminants. As a result, almost every country worldwide prescribes sterilization, incineration, or other disposal methods for these contaminated recyclables. Recovery, and the eventual recycling of IRIFS, is a practice that is generally permitted if items are kept isolated from contamination by defined food or food items. Adherence to specific protocols is also mandatory to ensure recyclables are recovered under certain conditions, and these ‘Non-Contaminated Recyclable Materials’ (NCRM) may be recovered and recycled in most markets around the world. A limited number of airports and airlines are engaged in NCRM collection, although even fewer are able to generate revenue streams from this source. Limited international cooperation on the process of recycling contributes significantly to the lack of recovery in the aviation industry. The aviation industry is a closed and controlled ecosystem of procurement, consumption, and disposal, and opportunities exist for the streamlining of extracting NCRM from international in-flight service. Advanced recovery of NCRM could yield greater sustainability and increased profit centers for airport operators. The existence of environmental support mechanisms within the aviation industry indicates that there is a desire to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint. However, since recycling contributes to only a small part of the reduction of that footprint, it receives a commensurately low amount of attention. The leading environmental initiative is the reduction of emissions (European Union 2016). Recycling could also contribute to the reduction of carbon, as recycling aluminum does bring with it carbon reduction (Aluminum Association 2018). These savings, however, have not yet been considered in comparison to the reduction of GHGs from fuel burn savings. Findings The aviation industry often cites policy limits as the primary reason for why extracting NCRM from IRIFS does not occur. Findings show, however, that NCRM recovery is occurring at some airports despite apparent policy restrictions. Complications do arise where airports are unaware of what types of NCRM are expected from arriving airlines. Airlines, after all, are solely responsible for their supply and collection chains curated through internal procurement strategies. A higher NCRM recovery rate was found in countries where policies mandated in-flight separation before landing. Where policies have been harmonized across previously international borders, such as in the European Union (EU), a higher rate of extraction of NCRM was found. More astute handling practices generally increase the recovery of recyclables from international in-flight service. Findings suggest supply chains, advanced stakeholder engagement, value chain collaboration, and a globally standardized and adopted approach may be needed to increase NCRM recovery.

2 Given the complexity of logistics and waste streams, along with the potential for contamination, the requirement for sterilization and incineration is understandable. Yet, despite these complexities and requirements, recycling from international flights is still permitted and can be carried out when items are shown to have no evidence of being exposed to quarantined items. Some Airports, Airlines and Flight Kitchens (AAFKs) limit recovery of NCRM entirely, not due to the policy limiting the process, but due to the concern of associated fines if recovery is not carried out correctly. In some countries where an absence of a policy restricting NCRM recovery was found, the recycling of NCRM still did not take place. The monetary value that comes from the collection and eventual recycling of NCRM could offer untapped revenue for airport operators. This value is two-fold; firstly, income from the sale of recyclables and secondly, from the reduction of the volume of Quarantined Waste and the mitigation of its costs of handling. Airport operators can also achieve an environmental milestone through the shaping of the narrative around the issue of waste. Overall, the key finding of this research is that, with a multi-stakeholder approach, airports, airlines, and flight kitchens, along with support partners, can affect the recovery efficiency of NCRM. Through these collaborative efforts, gaps in supply and collection chains can be addressed. While not yet realized, the development of a standardized procurement strategy within the industry could provide further bridging of the gaps as needed to achieve increased sustainability, reduced cost, and increased operational efficiencies. Conclusion and Recommendations Airports have a symbiotic relationship with airlines, each providing value to the other for seamless operation and movement of passengers. However, these parties often utilize separate waste services and manage QW separately. QW from both parties must be quarantined when contaminated. For airlines, it is the international waste and recycling from in-flight service from passengers, and for airports, it is the waste disposed from within terminal buildings generated by these same international passengers. Both NCRM and QW arise from the reliance on single-use lightweight materials. These materials help ensure passengers can be served in a sterile way and minimize payload weight and, in turn, fuel consumption. Conversely, heavier items with increased recovery potential would contribute to added fuel consumption. A global review of the aviation industry highlighted only a limited number of airports and airlines who engaged in NCRM collection. NCRM recovery was not necessarily attributed to policy or limitations of the in-place regulations. Generally, increased handling costs, lack of source separation, risk or fear of fines, gaps in stakeholder engagement, lack of perceived return on investment (ROI), and the absence of a globally integrated solution all contributed to the limited diversion of NCRM. Findings suggest inbound airlines often do not have the local expertise necessary to recover and integrate materials back into the local economy in which they arrive. Conversely, airport operators have the expertise and access to the assets which could aid airlines to achieve NCRM recovery. The potential to increase airport revenue could be created by offering specialized programs to inbound airlines. These programs could reallocate existing airline waste expenditures, and additionally, the costs associated with these programs through the monetization of the materials recovered. Overall, these programs could provide added value to the aviation industry and the environment as a whole. Airport operators could develop improved programs given their land-based operations coupled with

3 partnerships with local service providers. With an increasingly aware flying public and the lack of recovery programs, the need for increased levels of program delivery becomes even more necessary. The aviation industry has shown promise by being able to deliver solutions as a unified entity with sustainable aviation fuels as an example despite the increased costs of these types of fuels. To monetize NCRM, airport operators could: • Work with airlines to develop a plan for enhanced recycling programs to ensure NCRM is separated on-board and eventually collected and processed on the ground; • Develop a monetization strategy to engage supply and collection stakeholders to decrease the overall handling costs and increase process efficiency; • Initiate collaboration projects with other airports to demonstrate a standardized basis for collecting and diverting these materials across the airport chain; • Expand revenue streams for NCRM recovery in conjunction with stakeholders; and • Work with airline and airport associations to increase awareness of improved collection opportunities and strategies.

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When exposed to certain foods or fluids, recyclables arriving on international flights are required to be quarantined due to potential contaminants. As a result, almost every country worldwide prescribes sterilization, incineration, or other disposal methods for these contaminated recyclables.

The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Web-Only Document 46: Recovering International Recyclables from In-Flight Service finds that supply chains, advanced stakeholder engagement, value chain collaboration, and a globally standardized and adopted approach may be needed to increase and better monetize the recovery of Non-Contaminated Recyclable Materials (NCRM).

With a multi-stakeholder approach, airports, airlines, and flight kitchens, along with support partners, can affect the recovery efficiency of NCRM. Through these collaborative efforts, gaps in supply and collection chains can be addressed.

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