PureCycle, Cincinnati Bengals report recycling totals from 2022 home games

PureCycle Technologies, Orlando, Florida, and the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals have announced that during the 2022 season, more than 40 tons of aluminum and plastic and more than 60 tons of cardboard were recycled during Bengals home games through PureCycle’s PureZero scrap program.

"It’s great to see the team’s on-field success matched by their sustainability efforts off the field,” PureCycle CEO Dustin Olson says. “This is evidence of what can happen when best practices are put into place and everyone is pulling in the same direction. Thank you to the Bengals, Aramark and Rumpke for their efforts in helping to keep stadium waste from ending up in local landfills and waterways.”

Bengals Director of Corporate Partnerships Ryan Holmes says partnering with PureCycle on the PureZero program shows how collaboration develops off the field. “Traditionally, fans think of sponsors as advertisers they see in the stadium, but this relationship showcases how a true partnership between the team and sponsor can make a positive impact on our environment and the community,” he says.

PureCycle says that as part of the PureZero program, the Bengals have implemented a multi-step approach to reducing the amount of plastic scrap generated at the team’s home games. The company adds that it is working with the Bengals on recommendations to stock concessions with No. 5, or polypropylene, plastic products to create a circular recycling system.

PureCycle says it uses a patented technology that can remove virtually all contaminants, colors and odors from polypropylene scrap and turn it into a plastic resin that can be used multiple times.

“Like with their own team, the Bengals have the right players in place to make this a truly successful program,” Rumpke Waste & Recycling Director of Recycling Jeff Snyder says. “As Ohio’s recycling leader, Rumpke continues to invest millions annually into our recycling programs to ensure our customers—like the Bengals—can recycled the most amount of material possible, and thanks to innovators like PureCycle, Bengals fans could recycle more plastics than ever before. We look forward to continuing to work with the stadium and Aramark on growing this program.”