Oddly enough, there is a story to be told about trash, or litter as they call it in the UK. Everything we buy gets packaged, we then use that item and throw it away when it's useful life to us is over. Where this trash goes and how it affects our environment is an important task that needs to be considered at sporting events.
If you are reading this, you may be aware that this blog is about my experience at the London Olympic Games. Today I had the luxury to attend a boxing event at the ExCel venue. Below are my observations from the waste diversion efforts the London Orgaizing Committee implemented at ExCel.
-The use of a three bin system was in place. The three different bins were for recycling, compostable and trash. Naturally, the compost bin was colored green. All food and drink ware was of compostable material. But if you were to put a coffee cup in your garden, it would take years to decompose. A commercial compost company uses heat to accelerate this process, especially for the plastic utensils. There was also a logo placed on the cup that was on the compost bin, allowing for image recognition with the spectator and bin. The recycling bin was colored orange and was the same size as the green compost bin. The surprising aspect of this three bin system was that the trash, or litter, bin was black and less than half the size of the other two. The color black tends to have negative connotations in most cultures. This strategy should help divert contaminants in other bins because it is hard to bend down to the trash bin and provides an image that waste should be reduced, recycling and composting should be increased. The bags in these bins were tinted to avoid the displeasing view of messy trash. Outside the venue had a similar but smaller 3 bin system. The bags were clear but not much trash and outside food was allowed past the security checkpoint.
-No messaging was in place in the lead up or during sporting events. The action on the field of play was not to be taken away from. Rightfully so, Olympic events command high prices and are rare to attend. Also, all messaging was in English. There were many nationalities represented at the event but French, German, Arabic and Spanish were nowhere to be seen or heard. This challenge was overcome by the use of icons on food ware and the bins.
-Coca Cola was able to activate its global sponsorship with branding and positive story telling at vending machines and waste centers. Here they pledged to a 6 week turn around of all recycled bottles. They also affirmed their commitment to recycling and the environment. QR codes were placed that I assume will take you to the sustainability/CSR section of their web page.
The lead up to the Olympics brought a lot of awareness to the sustainability strategy of the London games. In going along with the games theme, interacting with our waste processes at Olympic events will inspire a generation to apply more environmentally friendly practices into our everyday lives.
If you are reading this, you may be aware that this blog is about my experience at the London Olympic Games. Today I had the luxury to attend a boxing event at the ExCel venue. Below are my observations from the waste diversion efforts the London Orgaizing Committee implemented at ExCel.
-The use of a three bin system was in place. The three different bins were for recycling, compostable and trash. Naturally, the compost bin was colored green. All food and drink ware was of compostable material. But if you were to put a coffee cup in your garden, it would take years to decompose. A commercial compost company uses heat to accelerate this process, especially for the plastic utensils. There was also a logo placed on the cup that was on the compost bin, allowing for image recognition with the spectator and bin. The recycling bin was colored orange and was the same size as the green compost bin. The surprising aspect of this three bin system was that the trash, or litter, bin was black and less than half the size of the other two. The color black tends to have negative connotations in most cultures. This strategy should help divert contaminants in other bins because it is hard to bend down to the trash bin and provides an image that waste should be reduced, recycling and composting should be increased. The bags in these bins were tinted to avoid the displeasing view of messy trash. Outside the venue had a similar but smaller 3 bin system. The bags were clear but not much trash and outside food was allowed past the security checkpoint.
-No messaging was in place in the lead up or during sporting events. The action on the field of play was not to be taken away from. Rightfully so, Olympic events command high prices and are rare to attend. Also, all messaging was in English. There were many nationalities represented at the event but French, German, Arabic and Spanish were nowhere to be seen or heard. This challenge was overcome by the use of icons on food ware and the bins.
-Coca Cola was able to activate its global sponsorship with branding and positive story telling at vending machines and waste centers. Here they pledged to a 6 week turn around of all recycled bottles. They also affirmed their commitment to recycling and the environment. QR codes were placed that I assume will take you to the sustainability/CSR section of their web page.
The lead up to the Olympics brought a lot of awareness to the sustainability strategy of the London games. In going along with the games theme, interacting with our waste processes at Olympic events will inspire a generation to apply more environmentally friendly practices into our everyday lives.
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