Air New Zealand has promised to remove a huge range of single use plastic products from its flights in a bid to reduce its environmental impact.

The airline estimates 55 million plastic items each year will be a thing of the past, including sauce packets, cheese trays, plastic bags and coffee lids. The items will all be swapped for reusable or recyclable options. 

Air New Zealand even plans to introduced plant-based cups later this year.

The company has been on course to reduce its environmental impact for many years, having already removed toothbrushes, water bottles, straws and stirrers. It’s also stopped providing newspapers in its lounges to reduce waste.

Anna Palairet, the airline’s head of sustainability, said in a statement: “Single-use plastic is a highly topical and visible issue for us and our customers, so we’re really pleased to be able to share this progress to celebrate Plastic Free July.

“It’s great to see more and more customers are bringing their reusable drink bottles and keep-cups on board.”

The company estimates that removing plastic bottles has saved half a million bottles being sent to landfills each year.

• Read: Supermarkets in Asia have swapped plastic for banana leaves

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