recycling — (L) Scott Helton, Secretary of Alabama Environmental Council; (R) Sa’de McClaney-Hammond, Executive Director of Keep Birmingham Beautiful. (Sa’de McClaney-Hammond)

In an effort to keep The World Games 2022 (TWG 2022) a zero-waste event, the Alabama Environmental Council (AEC) has stepped up in a BIG way! They’ve donated 300 hexacycle recycling bins to the City of Birmingham to be used during the 11-day event. Read on for the scoop.

Keeping TWG 2022 Waste-Free

After several years of organization and hype, The World Games 2022 kicks off this week on Thursday, July 7. The event is expected to draw in 500,000 spectators and 3,600 elite athletes from more than 100 countries—a mighty number that will lead to an exponential amount of trash and litter. With AEC’s donation, there will now be 64-gallon recycle bins as well as 300 hexacycle bins located throughout the city at all TWG 2022 venues.

Along with the AEC, other local environmental coalitions have stepped up to join in to keep TWG 2022 waste-free, including:

“It’s a combination of love. This is what partnership is all about—taking an opportunity and showing the world what we have.”
Sa’de McClaney-Hammond, Executive Director of Keep Birmingham Beautiful + Board Member of Alabama Environmental Council

The Impact

The recycling doesn’t stop when TWG’s draws to a close on Sunday, July 17. Osprey Initiative has partnered with TWG’s to sort and count all of the recycled items collected during the event to capture just how impactful these recycling bins were during the 11-day event. How will they do it? Through use of a Litter Gitter.

A litter what? A Litter Gitter is an adjustable device that intercepts floating litter from stormwater runoff. Learn more about the device + its impact in Birmingham.

Creating Birmingham’s first zero-waste venue is just one of the ways in which the International World Games Association is committed to sustainability and is working to ensure a positive global environmental impact. Others include:

Tree Planting to beautify the city, cool Birmingham streets + positively impact air quality.
Installation of Solar Energy Stations around The Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
Repurposing of Signage as either garden compost or in the creation of totes or art pieces.
Food Rescue, which will allow partner Grace Klein to provide more food to Birmingham’s hungry and prevent food waste.

Another thing to note is that because the bins are reusable, the City of Birmingham can reuse them for future events.