Monarch Airlines has introduced an in-flight recycling scheme.

Monarch Airlines is the first UK airline to introduce a recycling scheme following its survey which revealed only 16% of passengers thought that airlines were doing enough to recycle onboard waste.

All aluminium, plastic, paper and glass used by passengers and crew during flights will be placed in recycling bags during the flight and will be recycled on landing at Gatwick – this will include in-flight magazines, champagne bottles and aluminium drinks cans.

Tim Jeans, Managing Director of Monarch Airlines, said: “Monarch has been operating a paper collection scheme onboard its flights for a number of years now but feedback from passengers and crew highlighted the fact that the recycling of other items, such as plastics and cans, is a part of everyday life now which people wished to continue – if they were at home they’d be recycling the items, so why should they not do so on flights?

“With 70% of the waste generated in the cabin being potentially recyclable, Monarch has been working with Gatwick Airport on the initiative to ensure that the recyclable waste is removed from the aircraft on arrival and recycled appropriately.”

Monarch Airlines is looking to extend the recycling scheme to all its flights in the next coming months and is also considering other ways to help the environment, such as printing its in-flight magazines on recycled paper.