Dutch flag carrier KLM may introduce a closed loop recycling system for catering material if tests prove successful, the airline announced on Wednesday.

The airline collected catering waste material including plastic food containers, cups, covers and cutlery from four flights from Amsterdam to Vancouver. After washing some items, such as the cutlery, and and recycling others, the items will be re-used on the airline’s Wednesday flight to the Canadian city.

KLM is the first airline to test a closed loop recycling system which it claims will contribute to 50% reduction of waste compared to 2011 by 2030. The project is part of the airline’s sustainability drive.

‘Catering material used on flights from outside Europe must, according to European law, be thrown away but can now be washed and recycled,’ KLM’s Martine van Streun said.

The way around the law is to recycle the material into a lighter material which puts it within legal limits, she said. It is also less harmful to the environment and reduces CO2 emissions by 15% compared to 2005 by 2030, she said.