The program will be in place when the Los Angeles Lakers and Kings begin their seasons in October.
Following a test run at two Depeche Mode concerts in December, AEG is implementing a full-time, reusable drinking cup program at its Crypto.com Arena and Peacock Theater buildings in Los Angeles, it was announced Tuesday.
Teaming with hospitality partner Levy, both venues will replace all single-use cups at its food and beverage destinations with products from r.World, a sustainability company.
Here’s how it works: Used plastic cups are collected in specially marked bins, then taken to a nearby r.World industrial wash hub facility, where they are cleaned and returned to Crypto.com.
“We are excited to be the first arena in Southern California to introduce a full-time, reusable-cup program as it came to us via our AEG Sustainability team,” Lee Zeidman, president of Crypto.com Arena, Peacock Theater and L.A. Live, said in a statement.
An average of 15,000 cups are used per event at Crypto.com, a company spokesperson said. That plastic used to be recycled.
The r.Cup program now operates in 84 permanent venues and serves about 275 stand-alone events and festivals within the U.S. annually. It already is in place at 10 other AEG venues and at several larger-scale Goldenvoice music festivals.
The latest program will be rolled out during select events, starting Aug. 15 with a Los Angeles Sparks WNBA game at Crypto.com and a Young Miko concert at Peacock Theater across the street. It will be in place when the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers begin their seasons in October.
During the sold-out Depeche Mode shows on Dec. 15 and Dec. 17, a total of 23,418 single-use cups were avoided, which equated to eliminating 355 pounds of carbon dioxide, AEG noted. The company added that since it began working with r.World in November 2021, it has avoided more than 3.5 million single-use cups.
Read More: Crypto.com
