John Wayne Airport (JWA) is soaring toward sustainability with a mission to become a zero-waste airport—reducing landfill contributions, recovering edible food, and making a meaningful difference in the lives of Orange County residents and the planet.
What’s Driving the Change?
In California, Senate Bill (SB) 1383 requires residents and businesses to reduce organic waste disposal by 75% (compared to 2014 levels) and recover 20% more edible food. Airports, like other commercial operations, must comply—and JWA is rising to the occasion.
JWA’s sustainability efforts are made possible through a close collaboration with OC Waste & Recycling (OCWR) and with the support of a grant from California’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). Together, they are advancing environmental goals through food recovery and waste diversion initiatives that support both people and the planet.
After receiving the CalRecycle grant in 2022, JWA began rolling out its outreach program in 2023 by working closely with airport tenants and food vendors. The team provided training materials, purchased refrigeration units, and incorporated site improvements to streamline waste separation and food recovery.
Food That Feeds, Not Wasted
As part of this initiative, unsold but still-edible food is separated, safely stored in refrigeration units, and picked up by local nonprofit partners for delivery to residents in need. In 2024, JWA partnered with Abound Food Care to officially launch the food recovery effort. This shift in practice marks a major step forward—food that once would have once gone to the landfill is now helping individuals and families across Orange County.
“The unsold edible food can provide meals for families in need, instead of being discarded into the waste stream,” said Irene Alonso, Strategic Communications Manager at OCWR. “These diversion efforts reduce the amount of organic material ending up at the landfill, which creates methane when it breaks down—this is all part of building a sustainable, circular economy.”
JWA Environmental Program Manager, Melinda McCoy highlights “Working with OC Waste & Recycling as a partner is a great way for us not only to give back, but really help somebody who may not have regular meals every day. Yes, we are in the airport business, but we are in the people business too.”
Food recovered from the airport getting delivered to OC families.
Educating for Impact
Vendors were equipped with simple, easy-to-understand guides and clearly labeled bins to help them sort food waste, recyclables and landfill items quickly and correctly. The bins are broken down into three main categories:
• Recyclables: Newspapers, cardboard boxes, aluminum cans, glass and plastic bottles
• Organics: Food scraps, spoiled food, soiled napkins and paper towels
• Landfill Waste: Packaging materials, milk cartons, baggage tags, pet waste, plastic gloves, single use utensils.
With these materials in place, vendors spend less time trying to figure out what goes where and more time focusing on their operations.
Final Destination: Zero Waste
These efforts are just the beginning. With a thoughtful blend of education, infrastructure improvements, and strategic partnerships, JWA is charting a bold path toward becoming a truly zero-waste airport.
Food recovered in the CalRecycle grant funded refridgerators.
Carts are ready for food donations.
Funded by a grant from the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle).
