While the Cubs have had a miserable season on the field, new ownership’s brand-new recycling program has been a tremendous success:
↵↵↵Since its launch in April, the Cubs have kept the equivalent of 1.37 million beer cups — or 27.4 tons of plastic material — from heading to the dump. If you include cardboard from merchandise and food packaging, that amounts to 48.51 tons of material collected as of July 31, Cubs spokesman Kevin Saghy said.
↵All the cups will get churned into plastic tables, benches, carpets, clothing and automotive parts as a way of lowering Wrigley’s carbon footprint, Saghy said. The program brings the historic ballpark in line with U.S. Cellular Field and many other pro sports stadiums across the country.
↵The Cubs have been hawking recycling to spectators since the April 12 home opener, introducing specially marked collection bins in and around the ballpark.
↵Wrigley’s food vendor, Levy Restaurants, has also made the switch to 100 percent recycled napkins, compostable plates and cutlery. Wrigley’s scoreboard and ushers, wearing “Real Fans Recycle” T-shirts, have also been enlisted in the effort to get more than 40,000 spectators to go green.
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But the best thing in the article is a quote from Cubs fan Don Haider (if the name sounds familiar, he was a candidate for mayor of Chicago in 1987):
↵↵“This program’s probably the only positive thing they’ve done this season,” said Haider, joking about the Cubs’ record this year. “If they could only recycle their players as they do their cups, we would have much to celebrate.”
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