Waste Reduction and Recycling

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air employees are making sure that our commitment to environmental stewardship is more than just talk. Throughout the company, employees challenge themselves and each other to find ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle resources

Recycling in the Air

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air both have award-winning inflight recycling programs. The scope and variety of the materials we recycle are unique in the domestic aviation industry. The following materials are collected and recycled on our flights: Paper, cardboard, and coffee cups; plastic bottles, cold cups, and snack trays; aluminum cans; and glass bottles are recycled by both carriers, and even coffee grounds are composted from our Horizon flights each day. Together, we divert more than 300 tons of waste from landfills each and every year.

Horizon Air Inflight Recycling

Horizon Air has a long and successful history of recycling inflight waste, beginning in the mid-1980s. More than half of all inflight service waste is recycled. In 2010, Horizon was recognized as “Business Generator Recycler of the Year” by the Washington Recycling Association for their on board efforts.

Alaska Airlines Inflight Recycling

In 2008, Alaska Airlines expanded its inflight recycling program from aluminum cans to include paper, plastics and glass. Through partnership with our catering kitchens, our mixed materials are now recycled at over 95% of our catering locations. Our efforts were recognized by the Port of Seattle’s Environmental Excellence award in 2011.

Recycling on the Ground

Office and airport facilities around our system participate in a variety of recycling programs from paper to stretch wrap to packing peanuts. Our Seattle hangar facility alone recycles approximately 100,000 pounds of steel each and every year.

Sustainable Sourcing

For years, we've been reducing the amount of material we use during our inflight service. Our cocktail napkins are printed on 100% recycled content, hot and cold drinking cups are made from recyclable material - even our main cabin cutlery is biodegradable. These may seem like little things, but when you consider that we serve over 24 million passengers a year (approximately the population of Texas), it's not hard to see how the little thing really do add up.