As air travel becomes increasingly synonymous with cuts to service and delayed departures, the costs of the supposed comfort and convenience of flying continues to mount. But in recent years, the changes in the way we fly have begun to take a growing toll on the environment.rnThe hub and spoke system has produced such airports as Chicago's O'Hare International, where the number of delayed flights on a given day averages 35 percent, forcing travelers to consume extra products. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the average air traveler generates approximately 1.28 pounds of waste during their time in an airport terminal, roughly one-third of what the average American produces in a day at home. Servicing millions of people every day, the nation's air travel infrastructure produces a staggering amount of materials, including paper, plastic, aluminum and organic waste, which, until recently, has presented an overlooked opportunity for recycling.
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