Vasco home avant sport-sustainability steps

Image: Vasco da Gama Stadium, Alex Carvalho, CC BY-SA 2.0

The top-flight club of Brazil Vasco da Gama entered into an unprecedented partnership with Recicla Junto (recycling center in Içara, Brazil) for a recycling project in their home ground – the Estadio São Januário in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

‘VASCO’ stated that the partnership model with Recicla Junto is based on a circular economy project created by Cristalcopo (a plastic fabrication company in Içara, Brazil) to collect and recycle waste generated by the fans at their home ground – the Estadio São Januário – during the matches.

The Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama, commonly referred to as Vasco da Gama or simply Vasco, is a sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although originally a rowing club and then a multisport club Vasco is mostly known for its Men’s football team which currently competes in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top tier of the Brazilian football league system, and in the Campeonato Carioca, the State of Rio de Janeiro’s (Brazil) premier State league.

The 21,880-capacity Estádio Vasco da Gama, popularly known as the São Januário owing to its location on a street of the same name, is the home ground of the CR Vasco da Gama. It is located in the Vasco da Gama neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on a hill near the National Observatory of Brazil.

The National Observatory (Brazil) is an institution in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Founded by Pedro I on October 15^th, 1827 it is one of the oldest scientific institutions in the country. Its initial purpose was to guide the geographic studies of Brazil and teaching navigation.

Içara (Brazil) is a company specializing in food solutions and responsible for enabling Recicla Junto, one of the largest sustainable initiatives in the country. The project focuses on promoting recycling and encouraging the circular economy.

‘VASCO’ further stated that the goal is to recycle the material discarded in the venue stands, the corridors and the common areas of the stadium generating revenue for a local cooperative and reducing the environmental impact.

The initiative, which has already recycled 455 tons of waste, sees the partnership with Vasco as another decisive step in promoting recycling and strengthening the circular economy. The operation will be carried out in partnership with the Carioca Recicla Cooperative (recycling cooperative) which will sort and properly dispose of the waste ensuring recycling. Additionally, the awareness-raising activities will be held with the fans receiving bags for individual collection making them part of the recycling effort.

Commented Carlos Amodeo, head honcho, Vasco SAF, “We understand that the responsibility of a club of our stature extends far beyond the pitch. Projects like this reinforce our commitment to sustainable practices which generate a positive social impact and inspire changes in our fans’ habits. Together, with the Recicla Junto, we will transform the São Januário into an example of how football can be an active agent in environmental preservation and community development.”

The Recicla Junto’s efforts in São Januário build on the project’s successful experience at the 19,225-capacity Heriberto Hülse Stadium in Santa Catarina (Brazilian State). Since 2019, the initiative has been implemented at the Criciúma Esporte Clube (a Brazilian professional club based in Criciúma, Santa Catarina) games with the collection and proper disposal of waste such as plastic, paper and glass.

In 2024 alone, more than 15 tons were recycled at the stadium during the Criciúma’s Série A (a Brazilian professional club) matches, a 60 percent increase compared to the previous year.

Currently, the above initiative has recycled more than two tons during the Esporte Clube Tigres do Brasil (a Brazilian football team from the City of Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro) second division matches demonstrating that the combination of sport and sustainability can have a positive impact on the society.

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