Seattle’s Ridwell Partners with Alaska Airlines to Reduce Waste on Flights
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Summary
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.
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.
For nearly 20 years as a flight attendant, Zoie B. has seen firsthand how the airline industry has evolved to embrace more sustainable practices. As a member of our Green Team business resource group, she was excited to take part in Alaska Airlines’ first feasibility test in partnership with Ridwell, aimed at reducing inflight waste headed to landfills.
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.
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. This initiative aligns with our broader sustainability goals to minimize waste and promote more eco-friendly practices across all aspects of our operations.”
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.
“By partnering up with Alaska Airlines, Ridwell is helping reduce plastic and waste even in the air, showing that Ridwell’s eco-friendly services help make a positive impact far beyond Seattle,” said Scott Coughlan, Environmental Sustainability Program Manager.
“We were thrilled to see how much of the waste generated on flights could be recycled through our partnership with Alaska. 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 who 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.”
Test Results
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, resulting in:
28 Ridwell bags used
17.1 pounds of films and multi-layer plastics kept out of landfills
As someone who already recycles, it was just nice knowing that our efforts were being pushed even further toward sustainability.”
About Ridwell
Seattle-based Ridwell finds ways for people to recycle and reuse more stuff from home, picking up items that can’t be recycled curbside—things like soft plastic film, crinkly plastic snack packaging, light bulbs, small electronics, and textiles. All you have to do is fill reusable bags for doorstep pickup and Ridwell takes care of the rest, making sure everything gets properly recycled or reused. More than 100,000 Ridwell members across eight metro areas have saved over 25 million pounds of waste from landfills since 2018. Learn more at Ridwell.com.
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Great News!! We have used Ridwell for years at our home for all the stuff not taken at the curb. So glad private recycling is catching on. Now we’re ready for the employee discount! lol
This is so awesome! Would love to see this partnership become permanent!