Feb 1, 2020 - Sports

Super Bowl spends $500k to ditch single-use plastic

Trash in the aftermath of Philadelphia celebrating the Eagles' Super Bowl LII win. Photo: Corey Perrine/Getty Images

Ahead of Super Bowl Sunday, the Miami Dolphins and concession services for the Hard Rock Stadium invested $500,000 in replacing single-use plastic cups with aluminum alternatives, Bloomberg reports.

Why it matters: By one estimate, nearly 80% of plastic waste has accumulated in landfills or in the natural environment, and it’s uncertain how long it takes to degrade. Plastics are slowly permeating our bodies, oceans and even the air.

Flashback: The 2017 Super Bowl generated about 60 tons of waste, but in an effort to make the event "zero waste," workers organized what could be recycled, reused or composted. The "Zero Waste" Super Bowl aimed to burn 10% of all the waste to create electricity in a waste-to-energy incineration plant.

Go deeper: Solving the plastic problem

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Kendall Baker

Special preview: Super Bowl LIV

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

The Super Bowl isn't just a football game. It's the halftime show; it's the ads; it's the seven-layer dip; it's the fact that, for four hours on Sunday night, nobody is expected to be doing anything else.

Why it matters: The Super Bowl is one of the last remnants of an era when we all watched the same things at the same time. It is the "live sport" of all live sports, which is currently the only form of content tethering many consumers to traditional TV.

Go deeperFeb 1, 2020 - Sports

Kendall Baker

What the Super Bowl coaches are saying ahead of the game

Photo: David Eulitt/Getty Images

Andy Reid, 61, hasn't been to the Super Bowl in 15 years and is the NFL's best coach to never win one, making him the sentimental favorite among neutral fans.

What he's saying: Did I mention he's quirky and hilarious? Yesterday, he compared having nine grandchildren to eating Chinese food: "They keep you young and at the same time make you feel old. It's kind of like sweet and sour pork."

Go deeperFeb 1, 2020 - Sports

Kim Hart, Erica Pandey

The fraught future of recycling

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

MANASSAS, Va. — The American recycling industry is in crisis — and cities are on the front lines.

The big picture: The economics undergirding the U.S. recycling system have fallen apart. Unable to absorb the extra cost, some cities are opting to kill recycling programs altogether — just as public concerns about climate change are ratcheting up.

Go deeperFeb 15, 2020 - Energy & Environment