Tennis Canada aims to defeat garbage at Rogers Cup
Recycling efforts make annual tourney among the greenest in sporting world
It’s game, set, match for garbage at the Rogers Cup.
That’s the goal of Tennis Canada for the annual event that runs until Aug. 13 and features some of the best players in the world, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Canadian Milos Raonic.
And while the tournament always creates lasting memories, it also produces waste.
Lots of it.
But for the last decade, Tennis Canada has had a Green Plan in place, which aims to make the tennis event one of the most ecoresponsible events in Canada. And the group partnered with RecycQuébec two years ago to help make things even more eco-friendly.
The 200,000 spectators that will make their way to Jarry Park throughout the 10-day event will generate about 70 tonnes of waste, said Blandine Betton, but about 90 per cent of that material never goes to a landfill.
“We have to manage all that,” said Betton, the coordinator of sustainable development for Tennis Canada.
“There are many aspects: there’s the fan side, but also all the behind the scenes material.
“The first idea is always to minimize the amount of waste produced. After that, we need a system in place that allows us to be certain to minimize the environmental impact.”
Throughout the site, there are hundreds of clearly labelled waste bins that allow visitors to deposit their detritus into the appropriate section: Recycling, compost and garbage.
Betton said every day, two large bins are filled with compostable material — food, plates, utensils, napkins, etc. — and shipped offsite. As well, at least two containers of recyclable material are shipped out every day. When members of the media were given a tour on Tuesday, Betton said the first container on the site set aside for garbage destined for landfill was still nowhere near full.
Dany Michaud, president of RecycQuébec applauded the setup at the Rogers Cup.
“We want to influence and help people make the right choice,” he said of his organization’s presence at the event. “We are there to give them the idea to continue the things they already do at home.”
He said recycling is obviously easier at home, but people tend to forget about it when they are out at events or in a rush.
On site, Recyc-Québec has a crew of volunteers going around to help people recycle their water bottles and food scraps, and there’s a booth that explains what the uses are for recycled materials.
Betton says that even the tennis balls and the canisters they arrive in are recycled. The balls are used at the Tennis Canada facility until they are no longer viable, at which point they are donated to local schools where they can be used as scuff protectors on the bottom of chairs.
And the metal tops of the more than 1,500 canisters opened during the Rogers Cup are salvaged and sold for scrap, with the proceeds donated to local charities.
And while recycling material is one thing, Tennis Canada also wants the event to be carbonneutral.
To that end, the non-profit organization buys carbon credits to offset the carbon pollution of flights for the athletes and staff, vehicles used to shuttle people around Montreal and more.
Since 2010, Tennis Canada says the amount of carbon it has offset is equivalent to that produced by a car driving 6,000,000 kilometres, or 148 times around the planet.
The Rogers Cup also encourages the use of public transit — each ticket sold includes a free roundtrip STM fare — and there is a secure parking lot on site for those who choose to bike to the event.
We want to influence and help people make the right choice. We are there to give them the idea to continue the things they already do at home.