Monarch expands recycling scheme to Birmingham

Birmingham Airport passengers will have more opportunities to offset their impact on the environment as a result of a recycling scheme run by Monarch.

The airline launched its full onboard recycling programme from Gatwick Airport in October 2007 and has now expanded the scheme to Birmingham.

This means that all aluminium, plastic, glass and paper that passengers use during Monarch's flights into Birmingham Airport will be recycled after landing.

Tim Jeans, managing director of the airline, said that the scheme has been a success and claimed that other carriers should be adopting a similar approach.

"Over the past three months our onboard recycling initiative on flights into Gatwick has been fantastically received by both Monarch cabin crew and customers, with many customers assisting the process by separating their own recyclable waste before collection by the crew," he said.

"Seventy per cent of the waste generated in the cabin is potentially recyclable, so the fact that more airlines are not adopting similar policies is staggering."

Monarch offers services from Birmingham Airport to destinations in Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Cyprus.