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La Paz International Airport has become the first airport in Mexico to earn the “Desplastifícate” distinction, a recognition awarded by the Ponguinguiola association for reducing single-use plastic waste. The terminal, officially named Manuel Márquez de León International Airport (IATA: LAP), eliminated more than 41,000 plastic items over six months.
Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), which operates the La Paz airport along with other terminals across western Mexico, achieved the reduction by replacing disposable food containers with reusable alternatives in staff dining areas. The airport also installed sauce dispensers and cut back on single-use cutlery. Those changes kept roughly 192.5 kilograms of plastic out of the waste stream during the six-month period.
Over 70,000 Plastic Items Could Be Eliminated Annually
If the current pace holds, airport officials project the terminal could prevent more than 70,000 plastic waste items per year. The Desplastifícate program evaluates participating institutions on measurable reductions rather than pledges alone, requiring documented proof of fewer disposable items entering the waste cycle.
The initiative aligns with Baja California Sur state law amendments to Mexico’s General Ecology Law (LGEEPA) enacted in 2018. Those amendments restricted single-use plastics across the state, putting BCS ahead of many other Mexican states on plastic regulation. GAP has said the La Paz recognition fits within its broader environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy across its 12-airport network, which includes terminals in Guadalajara, Tijuana, and Los Cabos.
A Small Airport With Growing Traffic
La Paz International Airport sits about 11 kilometers southwest of the state capital. It handled roughly 1.3 million passengers in recent years, ranking 23rd nationally. The airport serves domestic routes to Mexico City, Tijuana, Guadalajara, and other mainland cities on carriers including Aeroméxico, Volaris, and Viva Aerobus.
The plastic reduction measures so far apply primarily to back-of-house operations such as employee cafeterias rather than passenger-facing concessions. Whether GAP will extend similar changes to retail food vendors inside the terminal remains to be seen.
The story was first reported by Colectivo Pericú.