Queensland venues’ sip sustainably initiative

Article posted by Coliseum, February 1^st, 2023

Image: AFL

Trials are underway at Brisbane, Townsville and Gold Coast stadiums in Queensland (Australia) that are testing alternatives to single-use drinking cups.

‘Al Circle’ quoted Stirling Hinchliffe, Sports Minister, as stating, “At this past weekend’s Brisbane Heat (Australian men’s professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team that competes in the Big Bash League) Big Bash games at the 42,000-capacity The Gabba in Woolloongabba, Australia, the first innings of Stadiums Queensland’s reusable drink container experiments were played. We understand that enjoying a cold beer is an important part of the world-class event experience at a Queensland stadium, but we also want it to be sustainable.”

The Minister added, “The testing of reusable drink containers is a part of the Palaszczuk (Annastacia Palaszczuk Premier of Queensland) administration’s continuous dedication to safeguarding Queensland’s opulent way of life and our distinctive environment for the coming generations.”

‘Al Circle’ further stated that three solutions were compared: Cans of recyclable or reusable beverages, aluminum cups and polypropylene plastic cups.

Added Hinchliffe, “The Gabba and the 25,000-capacity Queensland Country Bank Stadium (Railway Estate, Australia) will provide up to 10,000 reusable cups. Attendees are urged to return used cups to specified collection stations inside the venue for offsite cleaning.”

The project is looking into a procedure that can offer practical reusable drink containers for spectators, Queensland’s stadium venues and the environment. This is an opportunity to see how Queensland can lead the nation in sustainable stadium sports experiences with less than a decade until the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The 2032 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXV Olympiad and also known as Brisbane 2032, is an upcoming international multisport event scheduled to take place from July 23^rd to August 8^th, 2032 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Maintained Meaghan Scanlon, the Environment Minister, “The Stadiums Queensland trials were a positive next step in Queensland’s war on waste. Every year, Queensland stadiums use over 1.5 million disposable drinking cups, each of which takes an estimated 450 years to degrade in a landfill.”

This pilot will show potential locations for future local manufacturing and prospects to introduce reusable drink containers.

Added Scanlon, “Regarding the damaging effects of plastic pollution on the environment, the Queensland Government was devoted to finding solutions. The stadium trials will build on our successful single-use plastic bag and straw bans and our $1.1 billion Recycling and Jobs Fund.”

Stadiums Queensland issued a tender call in May 2022 for trials of alternatives to single-use drinking containers at stadium venues, with reusable cup companies Wise and WOSUP identified as the most suitable and experienced options for the supply and cleaning of multiuse cups.

Stadiums Queensland is charged with managing, operating and promoting the use of major public facilities for the staging of community, elite sporting and entertainment events. Its nine major sport and entertainment venues host more than four million patrons each year!

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