Recycling on the plane
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When I was a working as a consultant (about ten years ago), I used to travel a LOT. Sometimes it would make me feel that I was living in the airports.
My business travel has picked up in the last two months (within and outside the country) but not to the extent of what it was during the consulting days. In these two months, I have noticed that we throw away a lot of food on the planes. Today morning, Southwest folks gave me a packet of food. I didn’t know what was inside. When I opened it, there were three things:
1. Some biscuit sticks with cheese (which I gladly ate)
2. Some thin crisps (I don’t eat chips that much so I didn’t open the packet)
3. A Salami stick (I am a vegetarian so skipped that)
Of course, the stewardess threw away two of the unopened items into trash. It hurts me as I know that there are millions of people out there without proper food and we are throwing away food like nobody’s business.
Here is an idea (hopefully somebody in the airline industry is reading this):
How about taking a recycling bag just before you take the trash bag and request people to deposit food items that they have not opened for recycling. The airlines can then determine whether to recycle those food packets are treat this as a donation and send it to people that need it most.
What do you all think?
I would certainly vote for giving to those in need - Donate unopened food packets instead of trashing them.
-Ram
Hi Rajesh,
Just to add to your list, we can also think of recycling foods that gets fasted in large food courts/malls where people spend huge amount only to waste half of what they get to eat.
(Also, a quick note, i read through your current article, and guess in the last line we need to change “……..whether to recycle food packages are treat………” to “……..whether to recycle food packages or treat this as a donation……..”. )
Thanks,
Ram Anand
It is a great idea! but I think the reason airlines throw them in trash anyway has probably to do with legal issues - law suites. Unfortunately not everything happens out of greater public good even if we have good intentions. My 2 cents as well.