AUCKLAND, Dec 6 — Passengers flying Air New Zealand can have their coffee, and eat it too. Well, their coffee cup that is.

The Kiwi carrier has launched an innovative pilot programme testing edible coffee cups made of leak-proof biscotti biscuits as part of its continuing effort to reduce onboard waste.

The trial is a partnership with New Zealand company twice, which produces the edible cups.

The vanilla-flavoured cookie cups were developed to last "as long as it will take you to drink your coffee” and to be leak-proof.

"It’s terrific that Air New Zealand has partnered with us to showcase to its customers and the world that a little bit of Kiwi ingenuity and innovation could have a really positive impact on the environment while at the same time delivering a really cool and tasty customer experience,” said co-founder, Jamie Cashmore in a statement.

An edible cup goes one step further from the plant-based coffee cups introduced aboard the aircrafts of Air New Zealand, which is predicted to prevent 15 million cups from being dumped into landfills annually.

The airline industry has joined the international rallying cry to reduce waste and plastic, with several carriers replacing single-use plastic straws, cutlery and food packaging with compostable alternatives be it boxes made of sugar cane, bamboo and other biodegradable materials. They include Qantas, United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines among others.

Cruise lines and hotels have also been responding in kind by banning plastic straws and single-use toiletries. — AFP-Relaxnews