The “beer snake” could soon be a thing of the past during matches at The Oval, thanks to an ambitious initiative from Surrey CCC to phase out single-use plastic by the year 2020.
The club’s vow is their latest step to address the mounting problem of plastic pollution. Earlier this year, they introduced a ban on the use of plastic straws, brought in compostable coffee cups, and made a move to reduce plastic bag usage in the club shop.
However, the move against plastic glasses is their biggest commitment yet, and comes in the wake of a realisation from Richard Gould, the club’s CEO, that Surrey had been getting through approximately 1.3 million such items in the course of a season.
“The club has always been very conscious of reducing its impact on the environment wherever possible and, after a great deal of thought, has decided to make this ambitious commitment,” said Gould.
“Ever since the introduction of recyclable and reusable pint glasses in 2015, we have been introducing more sustainable policies around the ground – and the banning of plastic straws, introduction of compostable coffee cups and phasing out of plastic bags will all play a big part.
“To achieve this, we will need to work with our Members, fans, partners and staff to analyse all areas of the business and work out where we need to introduce alternative products and ways of working.
“With so many big events at the ground over the next three years, it’s going to be really exciting to see how we continue to improve the sustainability of everything we do and work out how we will achieve this target.”
Two further partnerships this year will deepen Surrey’s commitment to environmental matters. A recommitment to Sky’s Ocean Rescue Campaign is expected later this summer, following the success of their initial tie-up in 2017, when 20,000 reusable water bottles were handed out to spectators, as well as the installation of 20 new permanent water fountains.
And they have also announced a partnership with Fidelity Energy and ENGIE, which will ensure that all electricity used at the ground will be generated from sustainable sources.
This deal, which was brokered by James Benning, the former Surrey player and now business development manager at Fidelity, helped to save 223.8 tons of carbon during the 2017 season. According to the club, the arrangement is estimated to save 6,252 tonnes of carbon from being pumped into the earth’s atmosphere over the duration of the contract.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo