NottinghamLIFE: A GREENER ARENA FIRST INDOOR ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORT VENUE IN THE UK TO INTRODUCE ECO-FRIENDLY CUPS

 

As part of its commitment to managing its environmental impact, the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham introduced polypropylene cups on concourse bars in December 2017. The venue was the first indoor entertainment and sport venue in the UK to introduce the eco-friendly cups in a bid to reduce its plastic.

Lee Chadburn, Facilities Manager at the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham said: “The process we ha in place although effective, is not as advantageous as reusing the same resource. The plastic disposable cups are segregated after events and baled onsite for recycling collection, however each cup can only be used once. In fact, one disposable cup is used for an average of just 20 minutes.

“The polypropylene cups are reusable. They’ll be used on a wash rotation for up to five years and are fully recyclable. At the end of their life they’ll get turned into things such as coat hangers or ice scrapers.”

The new polypropylene cups are now in use at all ice hockey matches and most live music events from  for alcoholic beverages only.

Customers are required to pay a £1 deposit for the cup which will be refunded once the cup is returned at any point during the evening. Extra staff will be stationed around the venue and at all exits to make this process as hassle free as possible after events.

The venue is working with British company Green Goblet who produce the widest selection of Green Cups for stadiums, festivals and sporting arenas.

Adam Hucknall, Catering Manager at the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham discusses the reasons behind the new initiative: “As the largest entertainment venue in the East Midlands we feel we have a responsibility to set an example, not only to local entertainment venues but to regional venues and other arenas too.

“On an average Panthers ice hockey match we get through between 2,500-3,500 disposable plastic pint cups. That’s around 120,000 plastic cups per season and that’s before you even factor in live music events that attract up to 10,000 people per event. Unfortunately, these disposable plastic cups are one the greatest pollutants in the world so we decided to do something about it and we’re hoping to make a real difference.

“Bringing in the polypropylene cups will significantly lower our carbon footprint. Unlike the current plastic cups, the polypropylene cups are manufactured in the UK and washed in Nottinghamshire. The washing plant also runs off completely renewable clean energy.

“We believe all venues will have to make this move eventually and since we pride ourselves on being a greener arena, we wanted to set an example and get the ball rolling!”

 

The Motorpoint Arena Nottingham’s environmental policy can be found on the website (scroll to the bottom of the page).