As we race through the fourth season since introducing reusable cups at the stadium, we can reveal that we are now using more than 40,000 each matchday.
Arsenal’s sustainability journey has come a long way since, on the back of much research and consultation, we introduced the project back in August 2019, following a successful trial.
Each cup is of huge environmental benefit as it can be used more than 200 times, vastly reducing our single-use plastic waste. With the additional draft beer pumps installed across the stadium, the increase has meant more cups are needed.
But this is a good thing because the cup has replaced the single-use plastic beer bottle, which means we have now hit 40,000 cups used per game – up from less than 20,000 in the first season. Every cup used means fewer bottles going to waste.
This type of project really relies on the collection of the cups after the game to make sure they get reused as often as possible, and it’s great to have so many of our fans putting the cups into the cup collection units around the stadium so we can get them washed and returned, ready for use at the next home game.
However our friends at Camden Town brewery do have to restock the cups a couple of times every season to meet the demands of thirsty fans. Some of the cups get damaged, some reach the end of their life and some, unfortunately, are removed from the stadium.
Damaged and old cups are recycled with the rest of our plastic waste, but those that are removed are out of our control.
Our cups are used for some soft drinks, but it’s this market that is so heavily reliant on the use of the single-use plastic bottle, with 35 million soft drink bottles used in the UK every day, so this remains a huge problem we need to address. We have made a start by installing water dispensers at Emirates Stadium, but we are constantly looking at ways we can improve and reduce waste.
Reuse is certainly the best way to remove waste, so our cup is a valuable starting point. Please don’t take them home with you.
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