Dive Brief:
- The National Football League (NFL) has been trying to reduce the Super Bowl's carbon footprint since the 1990s, and Super Bowl XLVIII is expected to be the most environmentally-friendly game to date.
- MetLife Stadium will compost organic waste for the first time ever at a Super Bowl. Seven or eight tons of food waste are expected to be produced at this year's big game, and it will be converted into landscaping material at a nearby facility.
- Biodiesel fuel created from cooking oil waste will be used to operate generators on-site, which are expected to create six megawatts of the 18 megawatts necessary to power the entire stadium.
Dive Insight:
The MetLife Stadium itself has been composting food for years. In 2013, the facility composted 195 tons of food waste, while 2012 saw 152 tons composted.
The NFL has also sponsored e-waste recycling events in New York and New Jersey in the months leading up to game day. After the game, the NFL will donate miles of fabric, used for signs, to local designers who will create purses, dresses, furniture, and accessories from the material.
