Reusable Cups Used in Soccer Stadium

Japan's Ministry of the Environment will conduct a study on the use of reusable cups in order to help establish and promote waste reduction as a way of life.

One reason why soccer and baseball stadiums generate a huge amount of waste is because their large audiences use disposable paper cups for beverages. As the collection and recycling of disposable cups require a large investment of energy, a system for multiple use of beverage cups needs to be devised.

The MOE study aims to minimize the generation of disposable drinking cup waste at self-contained spaces such as sports stadiums, and to introduce a reusable cup deposit system to soccer stadiums, baseball stadiums, and concert halls in Japan. To that end, it will address the following issues related to reusable cup systems: (1) introduction and expansion, (2) domestic production, (3) life cycle assessment and (4) quality control.

The Oita Stadium in Oita Prefecture, known as the "Big Eye" (capacity: 36,000 seats), introduced a full-fledged reusable cup deposit system on March 15, 2003, when a match was held for the "Nabisco Cup," a national soccer tournament. Paper cups for beer and soft drinks were replaced by reusable polypropylene cups. Customers pay the additional 100 yen (83 US cents) deposit per beverage, which is refunded when the cup is returned to a collection site. It is estimated that the introduction of reusable cups will save an average of about 10,000 cups per game.

The research team will investigate data collected at this stadium and issue an interim report by the end of fiscal 2004. Although Japan has a "Container and Packaging Recycling Law," it lacks social and economic systems or laws to promote the principle that reuse that should come before recycling. It also lacks deposit systems; only one such system has been adopted for cans only on Hachijo Island, Tokyo Prefecture. The reusable cup initiative has thus attracted attention.



Posted: 2003/04/18 09:47:49 AM
Japanese version