Emirates recycled over 500 tonnes of plastic, glass last year

Emirates has recycled more than 500 tonnes of plastic and glass over the course of 2022 by collecting discarded bottles on board for repurposing.

Five hundred tonnes is almost the same weight as a fully loaded Emirates flagship A380 aircraft, said a press release.

On every flight that lands in Dubai, Emirates cabin crews work hard to quickly separate glass and plastic bottles before they are sent to a recycling plant in Dubai. The glass is separated by colour and crushed. This "cullet" or recycled glass ready to be re-melted is then sent to glass manufacturers in the UAE to include in their batch mix for new bottles.

The plastic bottles are cleaned, chopped into flakes, melted into pellets, and sent to manufacturers to make other plastic products. As a result, Emirates and Emirates Flight Catering divert thousands of kilograms of glass and plastic away from landfill each year.

Emirates has several other initiatives which focus on repurposing plastic or using sustainable materials where possible like Emirates blankets made from recycled plastic; wooden tea and coffee stirrers, paper straws and inflight retail bags are made using wood and paper from responsibly managed forests,  children's toys made from sustainably sourced material, reusable onboard amenity kits.

Emirates' Premium Economy and Economy Class range of amenity kits are complimentary for customers on long-haul flights, and feature designs that represent the four essential elements of nature – fire, water, earth, and air. The pouches are reusable and made from washable kraft paper with bespoke art printed in non-toxic soy-based ink. The contents include a selection of durable travel essentials made from environmentally friendly materials. The toothbrush is made from a combination of wheat straw and plastic, and the socks and eyeshades are made from recycled plastic, in this case, rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate). The packaging used for the dental kit, socks and eyeshades is made from 90% rice paper.