How to go #WasteFree at a baseball game

Chelsea Cameron-Fikis
Jul 9, 2018
3 min read

In support of #PlasticFreeJuly I've put together a quick post on going waste-free at a Blue Jays baseball game!

Have you heard about Plastic Free July? It's a campaign aimed to raise awareness of our growing plastic waste problem, while challenging people to avoid using single-use (disposable) plastics for the month of July. Personally, I've been trying to live with less and less plastic waste, so this monthly challenge felt like a natural fit. I would love to eventually transition to completely waste-free, but it's a process that takes time.

Live sport events like baseball games are usually not organized with a sustainability plan in mind, meaning they thrive off of single-use plastics in the name of convenience, (i.e. plastic cups, cutlery and straws to name a few). After attending a baseball game at the start of this month, I quickly saw how much waste I created in just one 2-hour game, and I wasn't even trying to be wasteful! The fact is, if you purchase anything at a sports centre or arena, it will more than likely involve plastic waste. So, for the next baseball game that I attended, I decided that I would challenge myself to a waste-free evening at the dome. Here are the solutions I came up with! Let me know in the comments if you have any other innovative and creative ideas for reducing waste at live sport events.

1. Bring a reusable water bottle!

All sports centres/arenas will have water fountains where you can fill up your water bottle with tap water, so why not bring your own bottle to the next game you attend? You'll save yourself some money (because water bottles in stadiums can be upwards of $7 or $8!) and ditch single-use plastic bottle waste. It's a win-win! FYI: This is the easiest tip you can use for just about any type of event (not just sports).

2. Bring your own bulk snacks to munch on!

I don't know if this can be said of all sport centres, but the Rogers Centre in Toronto actually permits guests to bring in their own food and beverage, so long as they are "wrapped, bagged or left inside a container to avoid spillage" (click here to read more). This is a great eco-tip that not only helps you save money and waste, but also gives you the ability to pack healthy and nutritious food to enjoy while you're watching the game! I opted for trail mix and fresh cut veggies with hummus.

3. Bring your own metal straw and reusable cup (for beverages other than water)!

Some people (myself included) like to enjoy a beverage other than water while they're watching the ball game. My go-to is a gin caesar, but I didn't want to order one in a throw-away plastic cup like I had previously. My solution? I brought a light reusable cup I had sitting in my cupboard and my stainless steel straw. When ordering my drink I told the server what my goal was (no plastic waste), and while she said that current rules say all alcoholic drinks need to be served in the stadium plastic cups, she made an exception for me. She also said that next time another option would be to pour my ordered drink into my own cup and then give the single-use plastic one back to the server. Just think, if more people do this then it may become standard to have a drink made in your own reusable cup!

4. Bring a backpack or bag to haul all your goodies!

Finally, you'll want to bring a sturdy bag to haul everything to the stadium with you, and to use as a bag in case you purchase any merchandise or sports memorabilia. The bag in this picture functioned as a cooler too, which helped to keep our water and food chilled. The Rogers Centre states that you can bring whatever type of bag or container for your food and beverage, so long as it is "soft-sided and small enough to fit under [your] seat".

And finally, don't forget to have fun and enjoy the game! I found that the preparation was more than half the battle, but it was also a lot easier than I anticipated. Also, my first #wastefree baseball game allowed me to enjoy the experience on a bigger more holistic level where I felt my cheering was doing some good for the Jays, while my actions were helping to do some good for the environment.