Will Canada's World Cup Set a Zero-Waste Standard, or Leave a Legacy of Trash?

Globe and Mail

a day ago

TORONTO, the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnaabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat Peoples, June 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In one year, millions of fans will take part in global festivities around Toronto's BMO Field and Vancouver's BC Place as Canada co-hosts the FIFA World Cup 26 TM. What they leave behind could be just as monumental: a legacy of trash, or a breakthrough in sustainable sport.
Today, Oceana Canada launched #ReuseForTheWin, a campaign urging Toronto and Vancouver to eliminate single-use food and beverage containers during the tournament. The campaign calls on stadium operators to eliminate single-use cups for beer, pop, and coffee during the World Cup. The stadium operator in Toronto is Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (BMO Field) and in Vancouver, it is BC Pavilion Corporation (BC Place, which already operates a reusable cup program in select sections and is exploring expansion). The solution is simple: ditch single-use cups bound for the trash and replace them with ones that will be collected, cleaned, re-stocked, and reused for the next game, creating a zero-waste standard in global sport.
'Every match of the World Cup could generate over 100,000 single-use items — and that's just from drinks,' said Anthony Merante, Senior Plastics Campaigner at Oceana Canada. 'We have one shot to get this right. If stadiums make the switch to reuse, Canada can leave behind a legacy of sustainable leadership, not litter.'
The Problem: Single-Use Waste on a Global Stage
Governments are investing nearly $1 billion to host the FIFA World Cup 26™ in Toronto and Vancouver. Unless major venues stop serving single-use items, millions of cups, trays, bottles, and wrappers could end up in landfill, incinerators, or polluting waterways.
This isn't just a waste issue — it's an ocean crisis. Major sports stadiums across Canada routinely serve single-use items, many of them made from or lined with plastic. In Canada, half of all plastic waste is single-use like the products served in the stands. Yet only eight per cent of plastics are recycled, with more than 90 per cent going to landfill, incineration, or directly into lakes, rivers, and oceans.
Canadians want better. An Oceana Canada-commissioned poll by Abacus Data found that 88 per cent of Canadians would choose a reusable option over single-use one if available.
Right now, fans at BMO Field and BC Place lack choice. It's time to make single use history. #ReuseForTheWin.
The Solution: Reuse is a Win for Everyone
If BMO Field and BC Place fully switch to reuse, up to 2.3 million single-use items could be avoided during the tournament.
Reuse creates local green jobs in collection, cleaning, and delivery, while cutting waste management costs.
All fans would get a guilt-free, zero-waste experience at every match.
Toronto and Vancouver could create a sustainability legacy for their stadiums and cities.
Each year, more than $7.8 billion worth of plastic is lost to landfills in Canada. Reusables offer a long-term, sustainable investment, eliminating the need to repurchase items that become trash after a single use. Reuse isn't just good for the environment, it's good economics.
The Call to Action: One Year to Get it Right
The opportunity for change is now. Oceana Canada is calling on:
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (BMO Field) and the BC Pavillion Corporation (BC Place) to ditch single use and switch to reuse ahead of the FIFA World Cup 26™.
Toronto and Vancouver to pass reuse bylaws ahead of FIFA World Cup 26™, requiring refillable and reusable food and beverage service at stadiums, restaurants, festivals and other large venues. (Read and sign the petition at oceana.ca/ReuseForTheWin.)
The Coca-Cola Company, one of the largest 2026 World Cup sponsors, to invest in the transition to reuse at World Cup venues.
'Hosting the World Cup will leave a legacy on our cities. Let's make it one of sustainability — not waste,' said Merante. 'Stadiums across the world have already been upgraded to reuse and found success. This is Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment and the BC Pavillion Corporation's moment to lead.'
Oceana Canada's recommendations follow a workshop with stadium operators, policy experts, reuse providers, and government representatives from across Canada and the United States exploring practical approaches to zero-waste operations in sport.
Visit oceana.ca/ReuseForTheWin to learn more and add your voice to the call for zero-waste World Cup cities.
Oceana Canada was established as an independent charity in 2015 and is part of the largest international
advocacy group dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana Canada has successfully campaigned to ban single-use plastics, end the shark fin trade, make rebuilding depleted fish populations the law, improve the way fisheries are managed and protect marine habitat. We work with civil society, academics, fishers, Indigenous Peoples and the federal government to return Canada's formerly vibrant oceans to health and abundance. By restoring Canada's oceans, we can strengthen our communities, reap greater economic and nutritional benefits and protect our future. Find out more at www.oceana.ca.