Alaska Airlines getting rid of plastic bottles, cups

Alaska Airlines announced on Wednesday that it is getting rid of plastic bottles and cups on its flights.

In a statement, the airline said it will replace the water bottles with bottles from Boxed Water, a brand that uses 92 percent plant-based cartons, and the cups with recyclable paper cups.

Alaska said the change is expected to save an estimated 1.8 million pounds of single-use plastics from flights over the next year, equivalent to the weight of 18 Boeing 737s. 

Boxed Water is a fully recyclable carton of water sealed with a plant-based cap. Earlier this year, Alaska was the first airline to introduce Boxed Water in flight, offering the option on first class flights and on flights operated by its subsidiary Horizon Air. 

Landfills received 27 million tons of plastic in 2018, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, making up 18.5 percent of all municipal solid waste in landfills. 

Alaska has been pushing to reduce inflight waste over the past few years as one of its sustainability goals.

In 2018, Alaska became the first airline to phase out single-use, non-recyclable plastic stir straws in exchange for versions made of white birch, which are compostable. A year later, the airline launched an initiative encouraging passengers to fill their own reusable bottles with water before they board.

Separately, Alaska aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 and to be the most fuel-efficient U.S. airline by 2025.