LAX Becomes 2nd Major US Airport to Ban Sale of Single-Use Plastic Water Bottles

You’ll no longer be able to purchase bottled water at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

That’s because Los Angeles World Airports — the airport authority that oversees LAX and Van Nuys Airport (VNY) — is banning single-use plastic water bottles at the two airports to encourage sustainable travel. Bottled water served on aircraft is exempt from the ban.

The ban comes after a two-year phase-out period that the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners approved in June 2021. The timing of the move allowed vendors at the airports to sell out their bottled water inventory and modify their purchasing contracts before making the switch.

The effort is part of LA’s “Green New Deal,” a sweeping plan to make the city carbon neutral by 2050. It seeks to do so by creating zero-carbon transportation, buildings and electricity, as well as by eliminating waste and sourcing water locally.

Now, all businesses with leases or concession agreements at the two LA airports must use containers made from recyclable aluminum or glass.