Virgin Australia has joined the growing wave of companies saying “no” to disposable plastic straws and stirrers with the carrier having now removed them from both its in-flight and lounge operations.
The airline uses more than 260,000 plastic straws and 7.5 million plastic stirrers annually, however these will now be replaced with paper and bamboo alternatives.
“This is part of our focus to improve the sustainability of the packaging we use as a business and to reduce the amount of single-use plastic across our in-flight and lounge offerings,” said Rob Wood, general manager of group sustainability for Virgin Australia.
“We know there are still improvements to be made, but we are committed to continuing to look for ways to improve the environmental footprint of our operations.”
The airline is not alone in opting to cut down its use of disposable cutlery. Both American Airlines and Marriott International recently announced plans to cut down on their use of plastic straws and stirrers, joining the likes of Alaska Airlines and Hyatt Hotels.
Meanwhile international coffee giant Starbucks says it will replace straws and polystyrene foam cups by 2020.
