The Australian Open’s campaign to cut down on single-use waste hit a high note this year. It washed and returned nearly 137,000 reusable items, shattering Tennis Australia’s initial goal of 100,000.
Partnering with Sustainability Victoria, Tennis Australia switched to reusable cups from bettercup, a local Victorian company, at the Courtside Bar and other bars around Garden Square for AO25. Not just cups but reusable bowls and plates were also introduced in Garden Square and Western Courts areas, leading to 136,932 items washed for reuse — nearly double the amount from AO24.
Over the three-week tournament, Green My Plate played a crucial role, collecting, washing, and returning over 69,000 bettercups. This effort alone diverted 552 kg of single-use cups from waste. Matt Genever, CEO of Sustainability Victoria, praised the initiative for showing a significant change in consumer behavior.
“It’s fantastic that so many people embraced the reusable cups at AO25, diverting waste from landfill and reducing their environmental impact,” Genever said. “The simplicity of the model was key to its success. Patrons enjoyed their drinks in the reusable cups then dropped them at clearly marked collection points for washing. The reusable bettercups will also be repurposed for other events across Victoria, providing a long-term solution to waste reduction.”
Matthew Nicholas, director of sustainability at Tennis Australia, emphasised the organisation's dedication to waste diversion.
“We’re proud of the steps we’re taking to reduce single-use consumption at the Australian Open,” Nicholas said. “On top of the almost 137,000 single-use items diverted from waste streams through the AO Reusables program, we recycled over 74 tonnes of glass and 64 tonnes of cardboard. We also tackled more challenging tournament-specific waste streams, sending approximately 16,000 tennis ball tubes and five kilometres of nylon racquet string offcuts to dedicated recycling pilots.”
Sustainability Victoria remains committed to assisting Tennis Australia in crafting its sustainability strategy as Victoria moves toward a circular economy with reduced waste and emissions.
