LEED Silver. The passenger concourse building, completed in 2012, received the LEED Silver rating. The Ticketing Lobby, completed in 2022, was designed in accordance with LEED Silver guidelines and is awaiting certification.
Green Concessions. In an effort to make the airport more sustainable, food and beverage concessions are committed to reduce, reuse, recycle and recover resources. LGB donated approximately 10 tons of unsold food from Airport concessions to Food Finders from 2016 to 2022 to combat food insecurity in the local community. The food donation numbers have decreased since 2022 through efficient ingredient sourcing and production based on consumption. As a result, LGB has generated almost no additional fresh and prepared food waste. Reducing and preventing waste generation at the source before it even starts is the most environmentally sustainable and economically efficient form of waste reduction. In collaboration with the City of Long Beach, LGB also has a commercial food scrap recycling program to divert organic materials from the landfill and create renewable energy.
Pavement Repurposing. For airfield improvements, all nonhazardous pavement material is pulverized in place and reinstalled as subbase material for taxiways and ramps.
Waste Management. In 2023, LGB’s recycling program diverted nearly five tons of aluminum cans and plastic bottles from landfills, and composted approximately three tons of landscape waste and over 10 tons of food scraps.
Solid Waste and Recycling. LGB Building Services staff hand-sorts recyclable items from our airside and landside waste streams. To date, LGB has diverted over 13 tons of plastic containers/ bottles and aluminum cans from landfills. Southwest Airlines has a similar program that is run by its local crew. For over 10 years, LGB has partnered with the Conservation Corps of Long Beach (CCLB) to recycle cardboard and liquor bottles (glass and plastic) from terminal concessions. The Airport recycled over 60 tons of cardboard and glass in 2023. CCLB is part of the California Conservation Corps, a State of California funded program that provides on-the-job training for youth ages 18 to 25 and provides corps members with meaningful experiences that can lead to a career in environmental conservation.
Green Buildings. New construction at LGB always has sustainability in mind, with eco-friendly standards in place for everything from major developments to smaller pavement projects and even mulching. LGB’s LEED®-designed passenger concourse incorporated 10% to 20% postconsumer materials. LGB completed construction and began operation of the 16,700-square-foot, LEED® Silver-certified ticketing lobby in 2022. Historical terminal renovation and baggage claim will also be LEED® certified.
Cleaning Up with Sustainable Soap. LGB tested a new, more eco-friendly hand soap in our public restrooms on a trial basis. The more sustainable and cost-effective product Soap2o, which is a concentrated soap wrapped in dissolvable packaging, is made by a minority-owned business. It eliminates the need for single-use plastic soap storage containers. The product also saves space and money, according to the company, with one pallet of Soap2o equivalent to 42 conventional soap pallets. For every 30 sachets of soap sold, Soap2o has pledged to donate 1,000 liters of fresh drinking water through the Made Blue Foundation.
