Soccer games at the Subaru Park stadium in Philadelphia are about to get a lot greener thanks to a new initiative that aims to divert 100 percent of the waste generated during matches away from landfills.

Home to the Philadelphia Union soccer team, the stadium produced more than 570,000 pounds of waste in 2019, of which just 40,000 pounds were recycled while the rest went to landfills. By the end of this year’s Major League Soccer season, however, the team plans to become the first in the country to have a zero-landfill stadium.

To achieve that goal by the end of 2021, the stadium is changing the kinds of containers they give out to fans, as well as its waste stream, in an effort to increase the potential for recycling.

As part of the effort, Subaru and the Philadelphia Union will work together with recycling partners and with each on-site vendor, including local Philly favorites like Chickie’s and Pete’s, Chank’s Pizza Cones, and Philly Pretzel Factory to phase out non-recyclable items, such as plastic film. They will also ensure that the items they give out to guests, such as plastic bottles, cups, containers, and plates, are as recyclable as possible.

In addition to installing new waste bins that will separate the waste into three different streams, the partnership will also educate fans, via new signs, videos, and messaging, to help them dispose of trash correctly. If it achieves these, the Union will be the first MLS team to divert every piece of its waste away from landfill.

This story is part of our ‘Best of 2021’ series highlighting our top solutions from the year. Today we’re featuring business solutions.