Alaska Airlines increased its recyclables collection rate from 44 percent in 201o to 49 percent in 2011. Horizon increased its collection rate from 85 percent to 90 percent over the same time period, but its recycling rate dropped from 64 percent to 49 percent year-on-year, the report says (see chart below).
Contributing factors to the drop in Horizon’s recycling rate are believed to be: removing individual plastic water bottles now that all on board water is poured from a larger bottle (a net benefit to the environment overall, the company says); the addition of buy-onboard snacks and picnic packs cabin service; and outside food and beverages brought onboard by passengers, the report says.
Among other efforts to reduce landfilled waste the group has replaced non-recyclable polystyrene main cabin coffee cups with recyclable paper coffee cups and begun providing compostable plant-based cutlery in lieu of plastic cutlery to its main cabin passengers.
The company’s water consumption stayed static at 18 million gallons from 2010 to 2011, the report says. The group says that water consumption “is not a material environmental impact” for it. At the airlines water is used mainly for sanitary purposes, with relatively minor amounts used for maintenance, washing and landscape irrigation, the report says.
