But the reality is that air travel generates a considerable amount of waste. If the aluminum cans that are pitched from flights every year were recycled alone (4,250 tons of them, to be precise), there would be enough to construct 58 brand new 747s–which, you might think, would provide some incentive to recycle for the airlines. Raw materials don’t come much cheaper than that!

Paper is also a huge waste in the air travel business. Every year, 72,250 tons of paper are wasted on flights–which is enough to fill up a football-field sized hole 230 feet deep.

The good news is that some airlines are opting to get a bit greener. Delta Airlines, JetBlue and Southwest Airlines have all made some strides in recycling their waste. Southwest in particular hopes to make enough money through its recycling efforts to pay for its entire waste management process.

However, most airlines haven’t really jumped aboard the green wagon as of yet. Though the reasons why vary, experts cite little to no government regulations or incentives as the main culprit.

That said, the fact that airports that do recycle save about $100,000 annually should nudge them in the eco-friendly direction.

So what do you do if your attendant cannot recycle your stuff for you? If you truly care about it, you can keep it in your carry-on (which is likely already jam packed!) and recycle it after you get off the plane. Just be sure to write the airline once you get home and let them know that it’s very important to you.

The good news is that there are some things you can do to make your travel a bit more eco-friendly. Here are a few tips:

Bring your own stuff. Instead of using the disposable items on a flight that will simply contribute to waste, pack your own travel gear–including reusable water bottles, utensils and other necessities.

Fly direct. This lessons your environmental impact with less fuel burn-off.

Buy carbon offsets for the miles you travel. For a donation of about $67, a carbon offset counters the two tons of carbon generated per air traveler by investing in environmental projects such as wind farms or reforestation. You can do this through organizations such as Clean Air-Cool Planet. Booking agencies such as Travelocity and Expedia also have carbon offset options.

Use a new plane. If you can, opt for an airline using newer plane models. They are likely to be more fuel efficient than older models.

Fly jetBlue if you can. They have a number of green programs they use to create a gentler impact on the planet.

Developments for more eco-friendly traveling are also in the works. U.S. flights have been testing algae fuel, Pipistrel is working on electric-powered aircrafts, and laminar flow control is being developed to create more efficient fuel use.