Zero Waste In Sports: If The Yankees Can Do It So Can You!

Did you know that sports fans in Canada and the United States will produce more than 20 million cubic feet of refuse this year? Bottles, cups, utensils, food waste, paper goods — it all has to go somewhere and most big-league and college sport venues are now working to incorporate green solutions. Many stadiums have been trying to encourage the use of recycling bins and composting for years, but still had large waste issues. Now, thanks largely to the Green Sports movement, stadiums are finding new ways to eliminate their waste stream completely.

At Yankee Stadium you won’t find a single trash can — not one — because the fans don’t produce trash! There are over 250 double recycling bins with only two options; glass or compost. How? Yankee Stadium adopted a Zero Waste policy that mandated the use of fully compostable bags, utensils and paper goods. If its glass, it’s recycled — if it can’t be recycled, it’s composted. Many other stadiums have also adopted composting; on-site, off-site, for sale or donation, a few even grow their own vegetables! (Fenway Park has a fully organic rooftop compost garden — how cool is that?)

In fact, the Yankees have done so well with their green solutions and Zero Waste policy that Yankee Stadium won the Environmental Leadership Award from the Green Sports Alliance this year. Who would have ever guessed that Yankee Stadium would become one of the cleanest and greenest buildings in New York?

Corporate social responsibility has many facets and can initially seem a daunting challenge for some businesses. However, solutions to your company’s waste stream are a fantastic place to start going green and a smart way to build public image. If the Yankees can do it, so can you!