Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has reduced the amount of plastic in landfills by the equivalent of 68 million plastic water bottles.

Over the past 12 months the ground handling specialist has used M&G Packaging’s BioNatur Plastic biodegradable stretch wrap for cargo shipments as part of its sustainability programme, reducing the amount of standard non-biodegradable plastic going to landfill by 616,885kg.

BioNatur Plastic is a line of biodegradable plastic products manufactured with a 1% load of an organic, food-safe proprietary additive that allows anaerobic bacteria to digest the plastic in a landfill. This takes just five to 10 years, whereas standard plastic can take 1,000 years to biodegrade under the same conditions. Outside a landfill, BioNatur Plastic has an indefinite shelf life and performs exactly like traditional plastic products, according to the manufacturer.

Stephanie Peacock, director of sourcing and supply in North America at WFS, said: “With the state of the plastic recycling market over the last few years, we were desperately looking for a sustainable alternative to sending tons of plastic to a landfill. We are greatly encouraged by the results we have seen in just 12 months and to have found a truly biodegradable option that performs so well.”

WFS has converted the majority of the plastic used in its North America cargo handling business to the BioNatur Plastics line.