How Football Is Helping To Recycle Plastic
Our impact on the environment is of great significance which is why sporting organisers are putting extensive plans in place to make sure future events are more sustainable and enjoyable for generations to come.
This makes single-use plastics the number one target for stadiums and football teams, and they are working in tandem to reduce and reuse these materials – so let’s take a look into what they’re doing to ensure this!
How football is making sporting events more environmentally friendly
Giving stadium seats a second life
- In Amsterdam, The Netherlands, the Johan Cruijff ArenA replaced more than 53,000 seats in 2017 – that’s a lot of plastic to get rid of – but after methodically going through all the scenarios and sending out a survey, these seats were sold. The money made from these old seats was given to the Ajex Foundation.
Using ocean plastic to make t-shirts
- Adidas in 2018 partnered with Parley for the Oceans, an environmental organisation to create a football kit designed entirely out of recycled plastic that had been fished from the ocean. This kit was supplied to the professional football team, Real Madrid. This collaboration was done to raise awareness of plastic pollution and to present the many different ways materials can be recycled. adidas pledged to carry on using recycled plastics from the ocean and enforce this into their whole line by 2024.
Turning drink cups into football pitches
- That’s right, ABInBev, a brewing company who are passionate about sustainability turned a football pitch in Sochi, Southern Russia into what is now called the Budweiser ReCup Arena. If you’re wondering, how is this possible? They took the empty, used plastic cups after the FIFA World Cup 2018 and melted over 500,000 down to create a special wear-resistant coating which was applied to the 65 x 42 metres of turf.
- This event magnified Budweiser’s devotion to bettering our planet, and the brand vowed that by 2025, every bottle of beer that they brew will be generated by renewable electricity. If you take a look at Budweiser’s packaging in the UK and the US, you’ll see that they’ve already achieved this target – have a beer and spot the symbol!
Using rainwater to irrigate pitches
- Using rainwater collected into a harvesting tank, football clubs including Forest Green Rovers, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England recycle water and use it to water their pitch. As the rainwater falls and flows into the stadium’s roof drainage systems, the water is stored in a large tank – so there’s a constant supply of recycled water to use. This method not only has cost benefits but improves their ecological footprint, especially during hot months where there are water restrictions.
At CSH Environmental we’re passionate about recycling and sport – check out our community page to see the local football team we sponsor! As advocates for a brighter tomorrow, we provide a wide range of services including WEEE recycling, waste management and commercial skip hire. Contact us today if you’re looking for responsible waste management from CSH because we’re proud to provide the nation with waste solutions.
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