Help kick single use plastics into touch

• 14 Dec 2023
• News

Edinburgh Rugby are kicking pint-sized single-use plastics into touch on matchdays at Hive Stadium, as part of the club’s ongoing commitment to sustainability.

Capable of being used 100 times, the cups can also be fully recycled at the end of their life and their introduction provides a number of other benefits as we continue to develop our sustainable practices.

Starting at the club’s European Challenge Cup opener against Castres (Saturday 16 December, kick-off 1pm), all beverages served by, or in, a pint-sized plastic cup from the Container Bar and in the Clubhouse will come in one of five Edinburgh Rugby cups.

The club will operate a refundable deposit scheme, where a £1 per cup deposit will be charged with the first drink, which will then be replaced with a fresh cupper new order, be refunded at the end of the event in exchange for the cup(s) or taken home as a souvenir.

All the cups are made from 100% polypropylene (PP), making them robust and long lasting, helping the club on its journey towards Net Zero.

As a result of this new initiative, an average of 2,000 single use plastic cups will be removed on each matchday, around 30,000 per season. Additionally, the scheme also helps us to reduce the Hive Stadium seasonal plastic waste by around 0.3 tonnes.

Other in-stadium changes already include the removal of all plastic straws, sauce sachets, knives, forks, and spoons, a 0% landfill policy, 40% reduction in beef consumption – to reduce emissions associated with high-carbon animal proteins – and a 25% reduction in food waste.

More on Edinburgh’s sustainability journey HERE.

Edinburgh Rugby Managing Director, Douglas Struth, said: “Edinburgh Rugby has achieved zero landfill waste every year since 2011, so it’s great to take another step on our suitability journey with the introduction of five new reusable Edinburgh Rugby pint cups.

“Our ‘Reusable Cup Scheme’ is the latest in a line of ongoing efforts to reduce and remove wasteful practice. We look forward to working with our fans and stakeholders to see the positive impact we can make together this season and beyond.”