Waste not, want not: Qantas plan to convert rubbish into fuel

FOOD scraps and grass clippings could one day help fuel Qantas passenger jets.

But the airline has confirmed that plans to convert rubbish into biofuel do not include harnessing human waste.

Qantas has taken its most tangible step towards reducing carbon emissions by signing a deal with US fuel producer Solena to consider building a trial plant near Sydney Airport to turn waste into biofuel.

The airline said it expected to complete a feasibility study for the waste-based aviation fuel plant within a year. Should it become feasible, the biofuel would be trialled later on aircraft.

The waste considered a potential source of biofuel includes food scraps, packaging and tree cuttings.

Qantas, which spends about $3 billion a year on jet fuel, has been investigating using biofuel for several years. The latest memorandum of understanding with Solena will start its efforts to find alternative sources.

''While we are still in the early stages of this project, the possibilities are exciting. We hope to announce further details soon,'' spokeswoman Olivia Wirth said.

Solena formed a joint venture with British Airways in February to build a plant in London by 2014 to turn up to 500,000 tonnes of waste a year into 73 million litres of jet fuel - enough to fuel 2 per cent of BA's aircraft at Heathrow Airport.

Qantas said it was too early to say what a waste-based fuel plant would cost but it was likely to be hundreds of millions of dollars.