It crackles, it rustles, it squeaks.

And anyone who has ever flown knows the noise made by the plastic waste that is scattered throughout the cabin after a scheduled flight.

There are veritable mountains of plastic, especially on long-haul routes, and you keep asking yourself what happens to all the waste and whether there aren’t more environmentally friendly ways of handling it.

Because not only the blankets and pillows are wrapped in plastic foil.

Disposable headphones are made of plastic and end up in the garbage, the cutlery for eating is mostly made of plastic and surrounded by plastic.

Every little airplane meal — the croissant, the salad, and the dessert — is wrapped in foil and sealed with plastic lids.

In total, each passenger produces 1.4 kilograms of waste per flight.

A Boeing 747 with 360 seats therefore generates more than 500 kilograms of waste.

This is the conclusion reached by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

With four billion passengers a year, like before Corona, this led to a waste volume that is like a big city – more than 5.8 billion kilograms per year.

In addition, cabin waste could double by 2040, IATA predicts.

Because if things continue like this, the number of air passengers should double by then worldwide.

More people fly in developing countries, and experts expect the desire to fly to remain the same in the West, with all the negative consequences.

Disposable makes the job easier

However, the discredited plastic has several advantages in aviation and is therefore still attractive.

The material is light and cheap.

Less weight saves fuel.

On average, kerosene consumption per person is around 3.64 liters per 100 kilometers, according to a survey among airlines.

This includes the garbage.

Even a few kilograms more ensure higher consumption.

Foils also ensure hygiene in on-board catering.

During the pandemic, plastic has been an effective way to prevent transmission, as tableware can only be used once and disposed of immediately - unlike porcelain and steel tableware.

The advantages also apply to the processes on the ground: one-way makes work easier.

"Plastic is used en masse in the travel industry," said Erik Solheim, head of the UN Environment Programme, who called for plastic waste reduction on World Environment Day.

Matt Rance, who runs the London-based company MNH Sustainable Cabin Services, which advises airlines on reducing their waste, is similarly critical.

"Plastic still causes a lot of pollution in air travel," says his company.

"But the awareness that changes are needed here and the search for solutions are omnipresent."

Few airlines responded specifically to the FAS's query about the amount of waste they produced and about environmental programs.

Most referred to their sustainability reports.

Nevertheless, most airlines have implemented such initiatives and pay attention to the waste consumption on board, also confirms MNH.

But what exactly are they doing?

A positive example is the Portuguese airline Hi Fly, which has received multiple awards as the lowest-waste airline.

She is asked about tips from other airlines and then makes her planes available.

On December 26, 2018, a Hi-Fly Airbus A340 took off with zero single-use plastic and flew from Lisbon to Natal, Brazil.

According to the company, single-use plastic has not been used on flights since January 1, 2020.

Bamboo cutlery is eaten on board instead,

some of which is reused.

Packaging is made of compostable material such as paper, cardboard or bioplastics.

Why doesn't this work for big airlines too?