A decade after restrictions on liquids in aircraft cabins were introduced, vast quantities are still having to be thrown away by passengers during airport security checks.
Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which operates Manchester, London Stansted, East Midlands and Bournemouth airports, confiscated more than 140 million tonnes of bottled drinks last year – more than 500,000 drinks.
Staff at Manchester Airport are still filling 80 wheelie bins a day of items discarded at security, while at London Stansted Airport 60 wheelie bins are being filled each day with huge volumes of sun cream, perfumes and cosmetics which also had to be thrown away.
All discarded bottles are subsequently sent for recycling by the airports.
Roughly 20% of security trays passing through security at MAG airports will have to be rejected because liquids which breach Government regulations are present.
Liquids are identified as the biggest single occupier of security officers’ time and can be a key cause of security delays in peak hours.
During this record-breaking summer season for air travel, MAG is encouraging its passengers to remind themselves of the regulations before arriving at the airport.
Government rules for carrying liquids in hand luggage stipulate that:
- Containers must hold no more than 100ml
- Containers must be in a single, transparent, re-sealable plastic bag, which holds no more than a litre and measures approximately 20cm x 20cm
- Contents must fit comfortably inside the bag so it can be sealed
- The bag must not be knotted or tied at the top
- Passengers are limited to 1 plastic bag per person