Load up the garbage truck and head over to the airport: Airlines are looking to pack an environmentally-friendly punch by way of using biofuel to power their jets.

While you probably don’t have access to a garbage truck anyway, it’s not quite time to celebrate just yet. As The New York Times reports, while airlines around the world are researching the possibility of cutting down on millions of tons of carbon emissions, there are some roadblocks to flying green.

Biofuels are expensive, not just for the airlines who’d purchase it, but they also cost Mother Earth some damage by way of using up arable land or destroying wildlife in order to grow the palm oil and sugar cane used in many biofuels.

And right now, there just isn’t enough to power aviation across the board. Then there’s those pesky oil companies who for some reason, maybe don’t want to see biofuels succeed.

The good news is research is ongoing around the globe to develop fuel from things other than edible plant life, including a plant called jatropha, an inedible weed that can grow in arid land; algae which wouldn’t mess with farms either, and also from municipal waste. Hence, the garbage truck!

If fuel prices keep rising (and let’s face it, they will) it’s definitely good to know that there’s work being done to wean our airlines off oil fuel.

Airlines Weigh the Advantages of Using More Biofuel [New York Times]

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