Can Creativity Help To Solve The Problem Of Stadium Litter?

Litter is a continual issue for stadiums, and understanding the mindset behind this is perhaps one way to start to make a change by creating litter solutions that spark engagement.

Here Laura Jackson, Business Manager of Broxap Street Furniture’s litter bins division, discusses how creative thinking about litter can lead to big improvements.

Fast food and single‑use disposable packaging are part of the stadium experience, and with safety and convenience in mind, that is unlikely to change. The litter that generates though is a recognised problem that doesn’t appear to be going away any day soon.

While there is an increased knowledge of recycling, the nature of the waste still leaves a mammoth clear‑up job when a full stadium exits. Disposing of paper cups, plastic bottles, cardboard cartons, and even cigarette butts, particularly disposing of them responsibly, is not given a second thought.

A token litter or recycling bin to serve each area, or stand, within the stadium is not always enough to stem littering. These issues can have a negative impact on the visitor experience and can be costly and time consuming to tackle.

While the notion of ‘binfrastructure’ – the idea of having the right type of bin in the right place – has been around for a while, taking a fresh approach to litter management is starting to make inroads into this issue, which could inform a fresh approach in football stadiums.

Making A Difference

According to Keep Britain Tidy, more than two million pieces of litter are dropped in the UK every day. As well as looking unsightly, litter can attract vermin and can even lower perceptions of safety.

Yet the message that it’s not just someone else’s problem doesn’t always seem to be getting through – until now. Enter Hubbub, one of a number of growing and emerging environmental charities taking a radical approach to improving recycling‑on‑the‑go rates and spreading the keep it clean message.

It says that while most people recycle at home, only four in 10 recycle while out and about.

Its #InTheLoop campaign also aims to reduce contamination among recyclable waste in a multi‑pronged approach to keep more materials in use for longer as part of a circular economy thanks to cleaner and greener site management.

Visit cities and towns such as Leeds, Dublin, Edinburgh, Swansea and Lambeth and you won’t help but notice these litter and recycling bin interventions. Bright yellow vinyl wraps form the background for clear, precising messaging including images as well as text.

There’s even a nod to the locality with ‘Tidy!’ thanking people in Wales, or the instruction ‘Empty plastic and cans, nowt else’ in Leeds. It's a clever way to inspire local pride.

As the scheme has been so successful, Hubbub has even produced a toolkit and resources so facilities managers can adopt the same approach for free: https://www.intheloop.org.uk/. There is plenty of scope for this to be introduced at football grounds – especially with the strong connection and sense of identity fans feel with their teams.

Take A New Approach

So bright bins with distinct messaging is supporting the recycling‑on‑the‑go revolution, but different types of littering may need a different approach.

Ballot bins are also causing a stir in parts of the UK, taking the playful and fun approach one step further. We all know how the internet goes wild over the age‑old debate of whether it’s cream or jam first on a scone. And it would seem posing similar dilemmas and asking people to vote with their rubbish, or even their cigarette butts, is having the same effect.

Would you rather never eat pizza than swim with sharks? Again, a little imagination and a poser which strikes a chord with the community can have a massive impact on success rates. Best player in the club’s history? Goal prediction? The choices are endless when the topic is football.

From outdoor ashtrays to large capacity double wheelie bin housings, this ‘pick your side’ approach has been shown to cut litter by up to 73% in some locations. Of course these methods are being introduced because the way we now act as consumers has changed.

And we can’t ignore the fact this is in part following the Covid‑19 pandemic.

Hands‑free compaction bins, with foot‑operated pedals, provide waste and facilities management teams with a neat way to prevent overflowing bins. The internal hoppers remove the need for single use plastic bin liners and by compressing greater volumes of waste within the unit, collections are vastly reduced. These bins even incorporate a solar panel which powers a real‑time relay system, triggering alerts when the bins are ready for emptying.

Choosing to be bold with your binfrastucture is something everyone in facilities management can adopt – and there’s lots of support out there. Share your ideas with your litter and recycling bin supplier and make a start at changing the behaviours that drive excess littering in stadiums.