LA County Sanitation Districts achieve carbon neutrality

The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (LACSD), which manages wastewater and solid waste for over half the residents in Los Angeles County, has announced that its operations have achieved carbon neutrality, according to a third-party review that verified the district’s 2021 emissions inventory.

"Our mission is to convert waste into resources. For decades, we and our partners have undertaken activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For example, by converting sewage into recycled water, we reduce the need to import water, the energy used to import water and the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions used to create energy," says Robert C. Ferrante, chief engineer and general manager for LACSD. "We're proud to have exceeded carbon neutrality in 2021 and are looking for more ways to reduce regional greenhouse gas emissions."

The Sanitation Districts recently published a document titled "Reducing Our Carbon Footprint: The Sanitation Districts' Greenhouse Gas Reduction Initiatives," which is available at www.lacsd.org/GHG. This summary describes the agency's seven biggest initiatives that reduce GHG emissions.

Most of these initiatives produce green power, which reduces the use of fossil fuels—a major contributor to global GHG emissions. For example, the biogas created at the agency's landfills and wastewater treatment plants is converted into enough electricity to meet the needs of 23,000 homes.

Other initiatives include converting food waste into vehicle fuel, commodities recycling, water recycling, using alternatives to fossil fuel in vehicles, biosolids management and green waste management. Collectively, these initiatives avoided 362,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, which is equivalent to taking 78,000 cars off the road, says LACSD.

The Sanitation Districts are a regional public agency that serves the wastewater and solid waste management needs of 78 cities and unincorporated areas in Los Angeles County. The agency protects public health and the environment and, in so doing, converts waste into resources like recycled water, green energy and recycled materials.