Football supporters are set to throw away 300,000 plastic pint glasses while watching England play in the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday, according to new research.
And the environmental impact doesn’t stop with beer. According to a report by Business Waste UK football fans are predicted to also throw away 150,000 takeaway trays and 100,000 pizza boxes. This might seem harmless, but food residue on the cardboard packaging means they won’t accepted as recycling.
In total, the 90-minute game could cost local councils around £50,000 in street cleaning bills, according to Mark Hall, a spokesperson for Business Waste. If the match goes into extra time, an extra £20,000 could be added to the bill, due to the possibility of anxious fans grabbing more drinks and takeaways to settle their nerves.
Altogether, the clean-up bill for all of the World Cup celebrations in England will end up costing millions of pounds, states the research.
“It won’t just be fans waking up with a hangover on Thursday - companies, waste collection teams and local councils will also have a costly environmental hangover to deal with,” Mark Hall, a spokesperson for Business Waste said.
Of course it’s not all bad news, there are ways that you can help cut down while still enjoying the game.
Be mindful of your waste while reusing and recycling whenever possible. Rosie Cotgreave, plastic-free campaigner at Friends of the Earth also insists that there are loads of ways to stay sustainable while celebrating (or commiserating).
“Single-use beer cups are likely to be a big cause of plastic pollution. So if you’re hosting a World Cup viewing, opt for reusable pint glasses rather than throwaway ones,” she told HuffPost UK.
“Fancy dress and memorabilia is another way thing that brings a lot of ugly single-use plastic into the beautiful game. Avoid novelty plastic flags, hats and wigs that you’re only going to wear a couple of times before throwing away. If you want to add a little extra sparkle to the game, go for eco-friendly glitter instead.”
And for fancy dress, buy something you can still use for the Euros in 2020.