question about aluminum cans

I was on vacation recently and while on the plane I noticed that all the complimentary soft drinks and juices were served in aluminum cans. I noticed that the stewardess did not seperate the cans and they were thrown together with the other garbage(napkins, candy wrappers, etc.) It really got me wondering where all that stuff goes. I would happily go through their garbage for the 100's of lbs. of cans that would be picked up in a single day. Anybody know if the airlines recycle the stuff somewhere down the line? I doubt an airline or airport will allow the public to go through their stuff but if they did I think it would be a gold mine of cans and whatever else one could find when you consider the amount of planes going in and out of a major airport.

dont they burn it? i think i saw it on dirty jobs once. i may be way wrong though...

I'm just talking about a flight within the U.S. I would have thought that the airlines would somehow separate anything recyclable and if they were going to do so, they would do so at the beginning, i.e. when a can is empty it would go in one bag and all other garbage would go in a different one. I just found it kind of interesting. Ever since I've started scrapping I notice things that I never used to pay attention to.

Why would an airline want to save/make money? They prefer to overcharge for seats/baggage and get government subsidies.

I do think it's a good idea, just not sure where you would start.

I so totally agree with you on an airline preferring to overcharge you and me rather than save money. I was tempted to ask the stewardess if I could have the 8 or 10 cans or however many were used on the flight but you know how they have to collect all the trash before landing. If its for cleanliness sake I would have been happy to help.

With the way the government is nowadays I could see them saying no to your request, because you might fashion a weapon out of those cans as you de-board.

What I was hoping to find out is where all the planes throw their trash because I'm not looking to just get the few cans off whatever flight I may be on. Rather I'm not shy or embarrassed to get dirty and go wherever they dump their stuff. I want ALL the cans off ALL the planes. I'm hungry.

Guess the best place to start is at the local airport. Start asking questions.