Airlines around the world are now looking at how to reduce the amount of waste produced during flights.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that roughly 6.1 million tonnes (6.7 million US tons) of waste were generated onboard aircraft in 2018.

Initiatives include "zero-waste" flights involving sugar cane meal containers and cereal starch cutlery, and replacing plastic disposable cups with paper ones.

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A surprising amount of trash is generated every time you fly — from wasted food to discarded plastic cutlery, packaging, and bathroom waste.

Every flight, the standard passenger produces an average of 1.43 kilograms (3.15 pounds) of waste before leaving the aircraft, according to a 2014 study — and, as air traffic increases, so does the amount of waste produced.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has estimated that roughly 6.1 million tonnes (6.7 million US tons) of waste were generated onboard aircraft in 2018. A year earlier, 5.7 million tonnes (6.3 million US tons) of waste was generated.

And according to statistics, 23% of the trash that originates on aircraft consists of perfectly viable food and beverages.

With a $15 billion market for airline catering in 2017, it's increasingly important to start working on improving planning and logistics around waste.

Food waste is a global problem. Roughly 1.3 billion tonnes (1.43 billion tons) of food is lost or wasted each year, according to the IATA. That's about one-third of all food available.

Read more: Germ-detecting AI and virtual farms: How tech will revolutionize food across the globe in the next 5 years

KLM is looking to cut out both plastic cutlery and dishes. KLM

Recyclable newspapers, paper trays, plastic cups, and cutlery constitute another 17% of the waste on board, according to the report.

Passengers also leave plastic wrappings from blankets and pillows, disposable headphones, as well as mini toiletries and cosmetics.

There's also another tricky problem associated with cabin waste — often it can't just be taken away from the aircraft, sorted, and reprocessed.

Many countries have strict health and safety regulations in place, which means that in many cases, waste from aircraft ends up going to incineration plants.

Read more: These 5 solutions could help us feed 10 billion people by 2050 without depleting the planet

Cereal starch cutlery, sugar cane containers, and biodegradable utensils

Airlines around the world have started devising their own ways to cut down on waste produced during flights.

Australian carrier Qantas completed its first "zero-waste" commercial flight in May, Buying Business Travel (BBT) reported. This means all the waste generated during the Sydney to Adelaide flight was recyclable, reusable, or compostable.

Around 1,000 plastic items were replaced with more environmentally friendly alternatives: The meal containers were made from sugar cane, and the cutlery from cereal starch, BBT reported.

They were later collected in separate bags by the crew, who also took recycled passengers' paper boarding passes and newspapers, the magazine said.

This resulted in a reduction of around 34 kg (75 pounds) of plastic waste compared to normal flights, according to the airline's calculations.

In May 2019, Australian carrier Qantas completed the first ever environmentally neutral flight in terms of waste. Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider

Dutch airline KLM also announced in June that it wants to cut out plastic cutlery and dishes, and substitute them with biodegradable materials.

Air France has also pledged to eliminate 210 million pieces of plastic used on flights by the end of 2019.

On June 5, also known as World Environmental Day, the French airline tested using plastic alternatives for the first time, giving passengers on a Paris to Detroit route products made with bio-based materials rather than plastic.

Air France also estimates that, by the end of the year, it will have cut out: