How The Port of LA is Driving Sustainability City-Wide
On average, Los Angeles (LA) produces 30 million tonnes of waste each year, with the majority heading to landfill.
To tackle this issue, The Port of LA (PLA) is committed to achieving zero waste within its facilities and property boundaries.
The plan will see a 95% increase in landfill diversion rate by 2035 and a rate of 100% by 2050.
Inside PLA’s plan for zero waste
The plan aligns with Los Angeles’ Zero Waste Ordinance, Executive Directive No 25 and California state laws mandating organic waste recycling and food recovery.
The main goal of the plan is to reduce landfill waste, increase recycling and promote environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP).
LA is rife for generating various waste types, including office by-products, construction and demolition waste, food, hazardous materials and marine debris.
The PLA intends to reduce the types and amount of waste to achieve zero-waste by:
- Reducing waste generation
- Expanding existing recycling programmes
- Conducting tenant outreach
- Updating permitting language
- Developing new organics
- Industrial recycling programmes
- Adopting zero-waste policies through the Los Angeles Board of Harbour Commissioners.
The plan includes stricter regulations on recycling office equipment, ensuring that materials such as paper, plastics, toner cartridges and metals are properly managed.
Beyond office recycling, the Zero Waste Plan also targets other waste streams:
- Organics recycling: Expanding the collection of food waste, mulch and compost to divert organic materials from landfills
- Construction and demolition waste: Maintaining a 90%+ diversion rate since 2020, ensuring materials like concrete and asphalt are repurposed rather than discarded
- Hazardous materials recycling: Implementing responsible disposal and recycling of e-waste, batteries, used oil and medical waste to prevent environmental contamination
- Tenant and employee engagement: Rolling out training programmes, outreach initiatives and Green Team leadership to encourage sustainable practices across the port.
“The livability of this city is of the utmost importance and we have made great strides to improve city services that millions of Angelenos depend on everyday,” says Mayor Karen Bass.
“We will continue this momentum and work to ensure that we are addressing these needs with urgency.”
Creating a green LA
LA is leading the nation in sustainability and clean energy innovation, with historic EV infrastructure expansion — making it the city with the most EV charging stations in the US.
The Eland Solar & Storage Center now provides clean power to 250,000 homes, accelerating LA’s transition to 100% renewable energy by 2035.
By the end of 2025, LA’s clean energy share is expected to surpass 60%, pushing the city closer to its goal of 100% clean energy by 2035.
“We have worked urgently to build a greener LA to make a healthier and more sustainable city,” the Mayor explains.
“Our work has led to significant increases in EV charging infrastructure, record amounts of storm water captured and reducing emissions throughout the city with the goal of hitting 100% clean energy by 2035.
“Together, in partnership with all levels of government, we will continue to create a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable city for Angelenos.”
LA has surpassed its goal of creating 100,000 green jobs by 2025, a year ahead of schedule, while investing in climate resilience programmes, such as expanding cooling centres and air conditioning rebates for vulnerable communities.
"Driving forward the clean energy transition in a city as diverse and complex as LA is no small task and Mayor Bass and her team are tackling this challenge head on, answering the call to prove what is possible in advance of the 2028 Olympics,” comments Ben Stapleton, Executive Director of the United States Green Building Council — California (USGBC-CA).
“As we move to host Greenbuild in LA in 2025, we look forward to deepening our collective work to decarbonise our buildings and construction materials through increased education and training for all."
Through global climate partnerships, sustainable infrastructure projects and clean energy initiatives, LA is proving that bold environmental leadership can drive economic growth and a greener future.
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