A change in one of Europe's busiest airports not only means that travelers can pass through security much faster but also that less plastic could be used.
London's Gatwick Airport — the United Kingdom's second-largest — announced it has introduced new technology that allows passengers to go through security without removing liquids and electronics from their carry-on luggage. Perhaps more importantly, liquids no longer need to be packed in a separate plastic bag.
Gatwick joins several smaller UK airports in making this change, and airport officials told the BBC that they expect the change to be entirely positive for passengers.
"More than 95% of passengers already pass through security at Gatwick in under five minutes," head of security Cyrus Dana said. "This cutting-edge technology ensures a safe and robust experience for our passengers."
Liquids will still be limited to containers of no more than 3.4 ounces, and officials warned that the plastic-bag rule may still apply when flying from other airports into Gatwick.
Still, the change could help reduce the amount of plastic bags being used by travelers, and any reduction in plastic is a net positive for the environment.
Plastic is one of the world's biggest pollutants, with more than 170 trillion pieces of plastic in our oceans. Plastic bags are one of the biggest culprits, as an estimated 500 billion such bags are used each year, and each has an average "working life" of only 15 minutes before being discarded.
In California, for example, plastic shopping bags will be banned starting in 2026. Customers will either need to bring reusable bags with them or purchase paper shopping bags at the store. Studies estimate that these types of bans could save each person from using 300 single-use plastic bags each year.
Changes like this can also be a good time to evaluate your own plastic use. With just a little bit of thought, each of us can use less plastic — whether it's by reducing our use of disposable water bottles, single-use health and beauty products, or single-use coffee products.
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