From this weekend onwards there will be no drinks in plastic cups sold at Estadio de la Cerámica in Villarreal. The club is hoping to reduce pollution and adhere to the recently approved EU reduction in plastic products.

Late in October the European Parliament voted in favour of serious limit on single-use plastic products. By 2021 all products that have a more sustainable alternative should be withdrawn from use. For football clubs and stadium operators this may become a challenge as vast majority of catering products are sold in single-use containers.

In Villarreal they're not waiting for 2021, changes begin from this Sunday's game against Levante. Fans will no longer be able to buy drinks in plastic cups, as they used to.

A new system is in place, which will see multi-use cups being distributed, each with a €1 deposit. When fans return their empty cups to a designated return post, the money will be given back.

This way “Feudo Amarillo” is hoping to change both the scale of pollution produced by the stadium and customs of supporters. While it's more complicated than selling single-use plastic, it may save the club money in post-game cleaining cost.

Because the EU is also aiming at serious reduction in polystyrene containers (by 2025, should nothing change), we should expect further changes, with regard to food distribution.

© Jörg Pochert