The Long Beach Airport (LGB) announced that it has diverted 35 tons of organic waste since it began recycling food scraps in late 2021.
“As a city committed to sustainability, Long Beach is proud to see our award-winning Airport undertaking innovative waste diversion initiatives that have already diverted a whopping 35 tons of waste that otherwise would have wound up in a landfill,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a public statement.
The program, developed in collaboration with travel retailer Paradies Lagardere, reduces organic waste and greenhouse gas emissions by collecting and processing food scraps from the airport’s concession businesses.
Food scraps, including meat, dairy, bread, vegetables, coffee grounds and other organic materials, are sorted by concessions staff at LGB. City Refuse then collects the scraps weekly and transports them to one of three processing facilities. The processed compost is then repurposed for industrial and agricultural use.
This initiative is part of a larger city-wide effort to promote sustainability, complementing the City of Long Beach’s Residential Organics Collection program, which began its rollout in October 2024 and will continue expanding through 2025.
The food scrap recycling program also aligns with California’s sustainability goals under Assembly Bill 1826, which requires businesses to divert their organic waste, and Senate Bill 1383, which sets targets to reduce organic waste in California by 75% and recover 20% of edible food by this year.
“Food scrap recycling is just one piece in Long Beach Airport’s broader commitment to sustainability,” Airport Director Cynthia Guidry said in a public statement. “We’re grateful to our concession operators for their partnership in continuing to set higher standards for environmentally conscious and efficient operations.”
