PureCycle Technologies, Inc. is now the official plastic recycling partner of the Cleveland Browns. The two are teaming up to enhance plastic waste management solutions at the stadium on gameday and advance the sustainability loop at its games. The Cleveland Browns are the first sports team to partner with PureCycle and its PureZero TM waste program as they continue to identify ways to improve plastic-recycling efforts on gamedays and throughout the year.
PureCycle’s partnership with the Cleveland Browns will kick off on America Recycles Day (Nov. 15) during a Community Day of Action at Chambers Elementary School, located at 14121 Shaw Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The event is open to the media. Volunteers from PureCycle and the Browns will join the Community Day of Action through the Browns’ signature Cleveland Browns’ “First and Ten” movement, which was created in 2014 to inspire fans to #give10 and help their communities by volunteering for at least 10 hours each year.
David Safer, Vice President of Corporate Partnerships, Cleveland Browns, said “We are excited to officially launch our partnership with PureCycle and to make a positive impact in our community together, including through our volunteering event on America Recycles Day. The Browns are focused on creating exceptional experiences for our fans throughout the year and on gamedays, and we look forward to incorporating the PureZero TM waste program at our stadium to benefit our organization, our fans and our region.”
Mike Otworth, CEO, PureCycle, said, “As someone born and raised in Ohio, I’m thrilled that the first sports team to adopt PureCycle’s PureZero program is the Cleveland Browns organization. With PureCycle’s PureZero program, cups from each home game can be recycled into an ultra-pure recycled plastic that can become next season’s stadium cup. We will work with the Browns to create a beneficial environmental impact that will bolster their efforts to be leaders in the community. The Cleveland Browns are the perfect partner for this program with our flagship recycling plant just a few hours away.”
With this program, PureCycle aims to reduce the amount of plastic waste generated at each game through an engaging plastic recycling program and community messaging to educate fans. Polypropylene plastic (designated as No. 5 plastic) is often the most-used material at any given stadium’s concessions, and this type of plastic often goes unrecycled because contaminants like food are hard to remove during the recycling process. Through game-changing technology, PureCycle will recycle souvenir stadium cups –removing virtually all contaminants, colors and odors – to create an ultra-pure recycled (UPR) plastic that can be recycled over and over again.
PureCycle will collect polypropylene plastic waste from Cleveland Browns’ home games to be recycled and transformed into UPR plastic at PureCycle’s Ohio flagship facility in Ironton with the goal of significantly increasing recyclable materials and further advancing sustainability efforts for the stadium and team.