About

The mission of the Sport #WithoutWaste initiative is to catalyze a movement that inspires waste-free grassroots sports events, promoting sustainable practices across the leisure and grassroots sport sectors. With a focus on building capacities of relevant stakeholders and coordinating waste-free events, our initiative seeks to ensure that grassroots sports events become eco-friendly, while fostering a sense of responsibility towards the environment.

Our team is committed to the development and introduction of policies on litter prevention and sustainable practices for grassroots sports campaigns and events. We recognize that collective action is necessary to achieve our vision of a world where sports events and campaigns promote sustainability and protect the environment.

We bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table, and are committed to ensuring that our work has a positive impact on the grassroots sports community. Through collaboration and coordination, we aim to create a brighter and more sustainable future for grassroots sports events, and ultimately, for the planet.

Why we started the initiative?

  • Every year, millions of tons of waste are generated during sporting events around the world, including discarded food and drink containers, plastic bags, and other types of packaging.
  • Littering during sporting events can have a significant impact on the environment, including increased pollution of local waterways, air pollution, and habitat destruction.
  • Litter from sporting events can also be hazardous to wildlife, which can mistake plastic packaging for food or become entangled in discarded items.
  • The issue of littering during sporting events is particularly acute in outdoor settings such as parks, beaches, and natural reserves, where litter can take months or even years to break down.
  • In many cases, littering during sporting events is caused by a lack of proper waste management infrastructure, such as bins and recycling facilities, as well as a lack of awareness among event attendees about the importance of responsible waste disposal.
  • Some studies have shown that sporting events with effective waste management systems in place can reduce the amount of waste generated by up to 90%, demonstrating the potential for positive change in this area.
  • Many sports organizations and event organizers are taking steps to address the issue of littering, through initiatives such as sustainable event planning, zero-waste policies, and increased public education and awareness campaigns

Sport #WithoutWaste movement was initiated by BG Be Active as a means to tackle this issue.  The project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.