Alaska Airlines recently completed its first feasibility test flights with Ridwell, aimed at reducing inflight waste headed to landfills. A select group of Horizon Air flight attendants led the effort by collecting snack packaging in specially designed Ridwell bags, helping to divert plastic and other waste from landfills.
Ridwell and Alaska Airlines teamed up to reduce landfill waste by collecting recyclables during 70 regional test flights operated by our sister carrier, Horizon Air, throughout our regional network.
About 17.1 pounds of films and multi-layer plastics were responsibly recycled and delivered to local and sustainable partners as a result of the test.
Renowned for their innovative recycling services in the Pacific Northwest, Ridwell responsibly recycles multi-layer plastic items, and their partners turn them into cool new products like building materials and leach-free stormwater drainage material.
Zoie B was one of the flight attendants involved in the project. With over 2 decades of flight attendant experience, Zoie. B have seen firsthand how the airline industry has evolved to embrace more sustainable practices. “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.”
This past summer, Alaska Airlines became the first airline to partner with Ridwell to tackle hard-to-recycle waste onboard flights—items like Biscoff cookie wrappers, pretzel bags, and other snack packaging that usually end up in landfills.
“Through our partnership with Ridwell, Alaska Airlines is pioneering innovative solutions to reduce plastic waste from our inflight service, focusing on materials that are often not accepted by local recycling facilities,” said Scott Coughlan, Environmental Sustainability Program Manager. “This initiative aligns with our broader sustainability goals to minimize waste and promote more eco-friendly practices across all aspects of our operations.”
Thrilled to see how much of the waste generated on flights could be recycled Ryan Metzger of Ridwell said: “Ridwell looks far and wide for innovators who can fill gaps in our recycling system. Rather than heading to a landfill, hard-to-recycle plastics like snack wrappers were turned into new products right here in the US. In competitive industries, we believe consumers will increasingly choose to support brands that take meaningful steps to be more sustainable. Ridwell is positioned to be a key partner in these efforts. It was great to see another Seattle-based company take steps toward making zero waste flights a reality.”
Over the course of 70 flights around our regional network, the feasibility test successfully diverted 17.1 pounds of films and multi-layer plastics from landfills through Ridwell’s responsible recycling methods. This test marked a promising step forward in Alaska Airlines’ commitment to reducing inflight waste, part of its 2025 sustainability goals announced in 2021.
“We discarded wrappers mainly into the Ridwell bag — pretzel, Biscoff wrappers, and then other wrappers we collected from passengers. It was a great feeling to know that these items were not going in the landfill,” said Zoie.
Zoie and a group of other Horizon flight attendants, collected trash in special Ridwell bags as part of the test to reduce the amount of plastic and trash from going to waste.
