A Guide to Recycling at Sports Venues Prepared by United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 January 2011 Prepared by: United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 - Materials Management Branch For more information contact: Briana Bill,
[email protected] (312) 353-6646 1 I. INTRODUCTION Events held at sports venues1 generate significant quantities of recyclable materials from a variety of different facility operations. Many of these materials can be collected and stored on-site for pick up relatively easily and inexpensively. Other materials can be more difficult to recycle and may require additional effort, space and cost to manage. Recycling bin in sports arena. In addition to conserving natural resources, minimizing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing impacts on the environment, recycling can have economic benefits. Depending on local waste disposal and recycling market conditions, recycling can lead to a reduction in solid waste management costs as revenue is generated from commodities such as cardboard, paper and aluminum. Other materials such as plastic, glass and food waste can be more challenging to manage, especially where space is limited and recycling or composting facilities for these items are not locally available. Other opportunities exist within sports venues to reduce waste generation, such as the use of returnable shipping containers or reuse of incoming product or supply packaging. Most waste reduction practices result in significant cost savings, both in material and shipping costs as well as avoided waste management expenditures. Nearly all sports venues built in the U.S. today are incorporating various design elements aimed at maximizing environmental performance in terms of energy, water and resource conservation.