Alaska Airlines teams up with Ridwell for sustainable inflight recycling

Ridwell, a Seattle-based recycling company, has partnered with Alaska Airlines to reduce waste on flights. This collaboration involved collecting recyclables during 70 regional test flights operated by Horizon Air, a sister carrier of Alaska Airlines. The effort resulted in the responsible recycling of 17.1 pounds of films and multi-layer plastics.

Zoie B., a flight attendant with nearly two decades of experience, participated in the initiative as part of Alaska Airlines' Green Team business resource group. She expressed enthusiasm for the project, stating: "I was motivated to test for Ridwell because I love the service they provide. I firsthand see all the waste that comes from inflight service (although we’ve gotten a lot better) and I’d love to see us continue to improve on this."

Alaska Airlines is noted as the first airline to partner with Ridwell for handling hard-to-recycle waste onboard, such as snack packaging like Biscoff cookie wrappers and pretzel bags. Scott Coughlan, Environmental Sustainability Program Manager at Alaska Airlines, emphasized the partnership's significance: "Through our partnership with Ridwell, Alaska Airlines is pioneering innovative solutions to reduce plastic waste from our inflight service."