Tar Heels, Ball Corp. introduce recyclable aluminum cups
Carolina will become the first university in the ACC to feature the recyclable cup. These aluminum cups contain an average of more than 70% recycled content thanks to their high recycling rate.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of Athletics and Ball Corporation announced a partnership to bring Ball’s infinitely recyclable aluminum cup to fans at Tar Heel sporting events.
The 20-ounce recyclable drink cups feature Carolina and Coca-Cola logos and will serve soft drinks for $5 per cup at men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, and softball games as part of a pilot program. In addition to Ball, Carolina is partnering with Coca-Cola and its concessions vendor, ARAMARK, to activate this initiative.
Carolina will become the first university in the ACC to feature the recyclable cup. These aluminum cups contain an average of more than 70% recycled content thanks to their high recycling rate.
“Carolina Athletics and the University are committed to helping reduce our carbon footprint and partnering with Ball Corporation on this important project is another opportunity to do that,” said Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham. “We want to set an example for our students, staff, fans and visitors that we can and should make sustainable choices that have a positive impact on the environment.”
Carolina’s partnership with Ball continues an emphasis on recycling initiatives at Tar Heel athletic events. They include pairing trash and recycling bins in each venue, adjusting operations to keep recycling loose and encouraging fans to un-bag recyclable materials during the 2019 football season and beyond, and creating student internship positions in athletic event management and the university’s office of waste reduction and recycling that will focus on recycling efforts in all of Carolina’s athletic venues.
“Since launching the aluminum cup in 2019, we are seeing a tremendous response from the sports community,” said Daniel W. Fisher, Ball’s chief operating officer of global beverage packaging. “We are proud to partner with UNC as they take the proactive step of introducing the aluminum cup to make their venues more sustainable.”
Ball, a Broomfield, Colorado-based company that is a leader in cutting-edge sustainable beverage packaging, designed the aluminum cups in response to growing consumer preference for more sustainable products to replace plastic drink cups.
Carolina Athletics joins Ball in its mission to increase the use of aluminum worldwide as, in addition to being infinitely recyclable, aluminum requires up to 95% less energy to recycle than to produce it from primary metals; doesn’t degrade: 75% of all aluminum ever produced is still in use today; saves energy: by recycling one drink cup you can save enough energy to charge a cell phone for up to 49 hours.
