Flight Industry Waste: Can We Rethink the Way We Fly?

During my trip to the Philippines to attend my best friend's wedding, I found myself on a four-hour flight with nothing to do, but plenty of time to think. Somewhere between takeoff and landing, my mind drifted to something I couldn't unsee: just how much waste a single flight generates. So this post is entirely based on my own observations.

Here are the flight industry waste I noticed during my trip:

• Food and drinks served with single-use utensils

• Printed boarding passes

• Single-use baggage tags

• Plastic water bottles at the airport

• Printed customer information sheets for each flight

These are all standard operating procedures — but does that mean they have to stay that way?

Design is where change begins.

1. Boarding Passes and Baggage Tags

Digital boarding passes have come a long way. Airports like KLIA2 already support fully paperless check-ins, where passengers simply scan their phones at every checkpoint. I even experienced myself several times now (with Airasia flights). However, I still noticed that some airports, including in China, Taiwan and Japan; require passengers to carry a printed physical copy throughout the entire journey. That's an unnecessary step when the technology to go fully digital already exists.

The bigger issue, though, is baggage tags. Every tag is printed once, used once, and torn off upon arrival, AND never to be used again.

What if airlines redesigned baggage tags to be reusable? A durable, scannable tag that passengers could attach and reattach for future flights would be a simple yet impactful change.

2. Single-Use Food and Drink Packaging

Imagine if in-flight meals were served in reusable containers instead of single-use plastic trays. Companies like Loopick, Chingpiao in Taiwan have already cracked the code on container rental systems — they manage the logistics of collecting, cleaning, and redistributing reusable packaging at scale. I am sure there are a handful of companies do something similar in every country, if no, perhaps a great idea for young people to start their business with?

The challenge arises when these companies don't operate across borders. But here's where airports can step in. By partnering with companies that have the technology and expertise to handle used containers, setting up a dedicated cleaning and repackaging station within the airport itself, airlines and airport restaurants could collaborate to close the loop. The technology exists. What's missing is the cross-industry collaboration to make it happen.

Even the product image are packed with single use packaging - paper/plastic cups

Found this in their magazine. Would like to study more about the components. Because the terms "biodegradable", "compostable", "polylatic acid" are pretty much jargons.

3. Airports as Sustainability Role Models

Because of economic airlines and globalizations, travels are so much easier than 20-30 years before. Sometimes airports feel like night market for some reason. People stay overnight there, eat their meals there, even brush and getting freshen up at the bathrooms there. So, airports are increasingly being held to higher environmental standards, and many are stepping up. Recycling bins and water refill stations are already visible in more developed airport hubs across Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Hong Kong (ever since I am into this issue, so far these are what I noticed). Only saw recycling bins in Manila airport, no drinking fountain.

Recycling bin at Narita airport, Japan.

Good practices shouldn't stay siloed. Airports should have a shared platform to exchange sustainability strategies, learn from one another, and raise the bar together. A network like this could accelerate adoption of green practices across airports worldwide, regardless of their size or budget.

Even at airports with water refill stations, I still noticed many passengers filling up — or purchasing — single-use plastic bottles. Indeed, no doubt, plastic is lightweight and durable, which makes it convenient, but it comes with a hidden cost: every interaction with plastic releases microplastics into our bodies; the long-term health effects are still being studied, but the early signs are far from reassuring. Not every country recycle plastic properly, hence we indirectly increase the recycling burden on the particular country.

For passengers, the solution is simple: a stainless steel tumbler. It keeps your water warm or at room temperature, it's surprisingly lightweight for everyday travel, and it eliminates the need for disposable plastic entirely. If there's one sustainable habit worth starting before your next trip, this is it.

4. Going Paperless in the Cabin

Every flight generates stacks of printed documents — passenger lists, meal booking sheets, crew information forms — all used for a single flight before being discarded. Recycling helps, but it's not a permanent solution. Eventually, that paper ends up in a landfill or incinerator depends on how the country handle their paper waste.

It's 2026, digitisation is no doubt the smarter option. Tablets loaded with passenger information give crew members instant, searchable access to everything they need — and with AI tools now readily available, pulling up specific details mid-flight takes seconds. For airlines still attached to paper, here's a creative middle ground: what if those printed sheets could be transformed into something useful, like biodegradable food boxes for in-flight meals? It's circular design in action — and the technology to do it already exists.

The common thread across all of these solutions? Cross-industry collaboration. The tools are there. The knowledge is there. What the flight industry needs now is the willingness to connect the dots.