National Recycling League will unite together those sports teams with which Anheuser-Busch has sponsorship agreements and sports fans to work towards a shared dream of a future with less game day waste and more cheers,” says Brendan Whitworth, CEO of Anheuser-Busch.
With Major League Baseball season officially underway, more than 10 teams – including The St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, and Washington Nationals – have signed on as inaugural members of the National Recycling League.
Each team has committed to adopting and implementing a range of new, innovative National Recycling League activations aimed at reducing waste and improving recycling rates at stadiums to help divert recyclable materials such as beer bottles and cans from landfills. Activations include offering infinitely recyclable aluminum cups, which can be recycled over and over again, to fans in-seat recycling decals, and in-stadium signage sharing a simple call-to-action with consumers – ‘Recycle Like a Champion.’
To launch the National Recycling League, Anheuser-Busch and select MLB partners will be introducing a new member of the sports arena team. Similar to the beloved beer hawker, new Recycling Hawkers will be deployed in stadiums to collect used cups, cans and bottles from fans to ensure they are recycled properly. Recycling Hawker volunteers from Keep America Beautiful® will encourage fans to hand over their recyclables so that those items can be sorted from the trash and recycled.
In addition to in-stadium activations throughout regular season games, select partner teams will compete head-to-head in a new way as the brewer calls on MLB fans to join the National Recycling League and recycle their bottles and cans, with the winning city getting a round of beer on Anheuser-Busch. The city of the participating team which has the highest recycling rate during home games from Opening Day through May 31 will get a round of beer on Anheuser-Busch in celebration of their commitment to reducing waste on game day.
Looking ahead, Anheuser-Busch plans to work alongside teams across the National Football League among other league partners to enlist them to participate in the National Recycling League as the 2022 NFL season kicks off.