11/08/2023 and las 06:59 CEST
About to start the new football season, 24 teams from different categories are reaffirming an objective that goes beyond their strictly sporting goals: the commitment to recycling the packaging that is generated in stadiums during matches. Last year, nearly 1,200 tons of packaging was recovered for recycling.
Bottles of water and soft drinks, snack bags and paper and cardboard containers… All of this may have a second life when the referee whistles the end of the matches because recycling is also present in football stadiums. Environmental awareness is permeating the fields and recycling is one of those habits that fans can practice while watching their team.
Although the figures show that Spain recycled more than 1.6 million tons of plastic, metal, brik, and paper and cardboard household containers in 2022, 3.6% more than in 2021, it is important to emphasize the importance of not abandoning habits such as responsible consumption and recycling when attending a football match. Much more considering that this sport moves masses and brings together thousands of spectators in our country every year.
Awareness in football stadiums
To convey the message that environmental responsibility is not at odds with the emotion and atmosphere that is experienced on the pitch, 24 Spanish teams are collaborating with Ecoembes to carry out proper waste management at their venues. And they do it thanks to the more than 3,000 bins and recycling containers installed in their fields to facilitate the selective collection of plastic containers, cans and briks (yellow container) and paper and cardboard (blue container). In this way, the teams set an example for their fans not only in sportsmanship, but also in responsibility with the environment, by facilitating the recycling of these containers in their facilities, so that they can have a second life.
Sevilla FC is one of those clubs committed to sustainability. “Sevilla FC has always been aware of the role that the club has as a social benchmark for its fans, on and off the pitch. We must be an example in everything that affects our community, in this case, so that we all become aware of caring for the environment and encouraging recycling,” says the club’s 1st vice president, José María del Nido Carrasco, who explains the enormous challenge of leaving the facilities in the best conditions after each match. “In our case, we are talking about reviewing and cleaning the more than 43,000 seats of the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, adding the effort of separating the garbage in order to better manage the waste generated by our activity.” To facilitate the task, to the 130 containers that the club’s facilities already had, 64 recycling containers have been added at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán stadium and another 32 at the José Ramón Cisneros Palacios Sports City, where the Jesús stadium is located. Navas and all the training fields, offices and schools.
Recycling bins at the Sevilla FC facilities
|
Awareness and training
In all the Spanish stadiums committed to this objective, in 2022 nearly 1,200 tons of packaging were recovered. Specifically, around 750 tons of plastic containers, cans and briks and 450 tons of paper and cardboard containers. And the goal is to keep improving.
“Sport, in general, and football in particular, has many challenges ahead of us. We must continue to improve and work so that our impact is as small as possible, without compromising current resources, seeking solutions to avoid consuming natural resources and encouraging the use of reused materials”, stresses the vice-president of Sevilla FC For this reason, the commitment goes beyond implementing waste management processes and aspires to delve into the training of employees and fans. For this, as Del Nido Carrasco points out, different actions will be launched in the coming months. “We are aware that we still have a lot of room for improvement, but we must continue working along these lines and on innovative ideas to reduce waste generation and encourage, even more if possible, the use of the different containers that we have at your disposal”.
Recycling clubs and sustainable stadiums
In its mission to bring packaging recycling closer to stadiums, Ecoembes has the support of teams from:
* LALIGA EA SPORTS: Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid, Sevilla FC, Valencia CF, Villarreal CF, Real Betis, RC Celta de Vigo, RCD Mallorca, Getafe CF, Cádiz CF, UD Las Palmas.
* LALIGA HYPERMOTION: Real Valladolid, Elche CF, SD Eibar, CD Tenerife, Levante UD, CD Leganés.
* FIRST FEDERATION: Málaga CF, CD Lugo, SD Ponferradina, RC Deportivo de la Coruña, Gimnàstic de Tarragona, Algeciras CF and Real Balonpédica Linense.