Plastic glassed: reused?

[emdeeray]

Are the plastic 'glasses' used on flights washed and reused? I hope so, given the number each flight must get through.

[apaddyinuk]

You are kidding me right???
OF COURSE THEYRE NOT BLEEDIN WELL REUSED!!! Unless you fly Aeroflot that is!!!

[PAXboy]

I didn't hink so but how about recycling? Do they sort those bags and separate the cardboard and the plastic? My guess is that it all goes to landfill.

[Rupert S]

Have you ever considered all the other junk an airliner spews out when it makes a flight? I really don't think a few plastic cups makes up a large proportion of it :}

[emdeeray]

Yes, of course I've considered the junk produced by airliners. That's what got me wondering about this.

Flights I've taken recently used thick, heavyish 'bowls' with clip-on plastic lids for some of the items on the food tray which I would imagine are reused, given their weight and 'quality' (on Thai and Qantas at least). As the 'glasses' are thicker and sturdier than the type you'd find next to an office water cooler it's not completely crazy to hope that they might also be reused, is it?

Of course, perhaps nothing is reused. I suppose the economics of manufacturing new glasses and burying the old ones in the ground are more attractive than having them cleaned at some central location.

[OZcabincrew]

Hi!!!

At Qantas, ie in first/business class, glasses are used, no plastic except that cover food items. They are removed before served to pax, then they go in the bin. the plastic cups though used in economy aren't recycled, it would be impossible. However, majority of major ports that QF fly into in Australia recycle aluminium cans, so cans are kept and put in a bag and left on board for the cleaners to take off. Below is a list of recycling initiatives from Qantas and other environmentally friendly programs that Qantas are involved in.

Aluminium cans are collected from our domestic services and the proceeds of the sales go to the Starlight Children's Foundation, the Cranio Maxillo Facial Foundation in Adelaide, the Royal Children's Hospital Foundation in Brisbane and the Endeavour Foundation in Cairns.

In addition, wine corks from domestic and international Qantas Club lounges around Australia are donated to Guides Australia, which uses the proceeds of sale for environmental projects and to support membership for financially disadvantaged members.

We have also launched a program in the domestic terminals and onboard to encourage passengers to remove their newspapers from the aircraft by providing recycling boxes at our CityFlyer gates.


Included in our range of new food service equipment are pieces that are not only modern, aesthetically pleasing and functional, but which have been designed with the environment in mind.

Development of this new product brought about many challenges, including, the need to maximise opportunities for recycling and minimise the generation of waste on the environment.

Together, Qantas and Visy Recycling have closed the loop. For each piece of equipment, all stages of the product life cycle has been considered, from the choice of materials, to waste recovery and recycling.

For more information on this part of our product visit the Visy website.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY
--------------------------

Qantas continues to work with the NSW Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) through the 'Energy Smart Business' program on energy efficiency initiatives.

The Honourable Mr Frank Sartor MP presented Mr Peter Fenley, Qantas Property Manager NSW and ACT, with a Silver Award in October 2003 for achieving our second milestone in energy efficiency.

WATER SAVINGS
---------------------

Qantas has recently signed a voluntary agreement with the Sydney Water 'Every Drop Counts' program, which assists businesses to use water wisely.

A review of water use across our facilities has already resulted in substantial water savings. We will continue to review our processes and activities to identify further opportunities for water savings.

LANDCARE AUSTRALIA
----------------------------

Qantas has signed up as a partner with Landcare Australia,who provide a bridge between local environment groups and the government and business in caring for the environment.

Landcare Australia is best known for its tree planting and bush regeneration activities. Landcare and Qantas are working on a number of regeneration initiatives throughout regional Australia including sites at Mildura, Coffs Harbour and Wagga Wagga.

Hopefully the above info gave you some answers and also some insight into what Qantas are doing in regards to the topic.

Oz



ENERGY EFFICIENCY LANDCARE AUSTRALIA WATER SAVINGS:ok:

[Rupert S]

...well there you have it;)

[HKPAX]

emdeeray poses a very useful question. What if airlines only used re-usable materials, e.g. glass, china, metal or durable plastic instead of throw-away plastic cups, plates, cutlery etc etc? Would the extra fuel cost (weight) and energy used in washing / re-packing exceed the energy literally thrown away with the one-trip stuff? There may not be a simple answer but has anyone done the maths on this one?