British ColumbiaGoing out to a restaurant, theatre or sporting event can be good entertainment, but can come with the environmental consequences of garbage like packaging and food waste — some B.C. providers say they can get to zero waste though, and plan to.B.C. Place aiming to divert up to 47,500 kilograms of waste generated from stadium events away from landfillsChad Pawson · CBC News · Posted: Nov 30, 2025 9:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 5 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.The majority of food and beverages at B.C. Place is now served in ways where the containers can either be composted or reused. (Chad Pawson/CBC)Cody Irwin’s business is simple. Provide businesses with plastic, reusable foodware — and then take it back after it’s been used, wash it and make it available again.His ShareWares business got its biggest boost when it was put into practice for 54,000 people at a Vancouver Whitecaps soccer game at B.C. Place last weekend.“That was the biggest game that we did, and it went great, and we’re super excited about it,” he said.“We’re proving that this is totally possible.”Cody Irwin, founder and CEO of ShareWares, saw his business get a massive boost when his reusable containers were used at a Vancouver Whitecaps game. (Ben Nelms/CBC)B.C.’s biggest stadium is trying to be at the forefront of what’s possible in waste reduction across the hospitality sector, especially as it’s set to host seven FIFA World Cup matches next year.“We’re going to have guests here from all over the world who have different levels of understanding of waste management and recycling and sorting,” said Jenna Visram, B.C. Place’s assistant general manager.The operators of B.C. Place, which was built 43 years ago, have been steadily making changes to help divert the 5,300 kilograms of waste created when it hosts a sporting event and only the lower bowl seating is used.That number goes up to 47,500 kilograms of waste when the entire 55,000 seat stadium is being used.For events at B.C. Place where only the lower bowl seating is used, around 5,300 kilograms of waste is produced. For upper and lower bowl events at B.C. Place, around 47,500 kilograms of waste is produced. (CBC News)“That’s significant,” said Visram about the amount of beverage and food containers being used and then discarded.She said 80 per cent of that waste from smaller events, and 77 per cent from bigger events, is being diverted away from landfills.Since 2020, the stadium has been making changed to use wooden cutlery, compostable food containers — and now the ShareWares cups — stadium-wide.B.C. Place Assistant General Manager Jenna Visram says B.C. Place is aiming to divert 90 per cent of the waste it creates away from landfills by the end of 2026, which would help classify it as a zero-waste facility. (Hunter Soo/CBC)If you’re wondering about what happens to the mix of discarded cups and containers piled under seats at events, Visram says there are teams that sort it all.She says B.C. Place can get to a 90 per cent diversion rate by the end of next year.“We always want to be a leader in the industry and we saw trends emerging, and so that was our cue to really take the lead and become the first stadium in Canada to, for example, launch a reusable cup program,” she said.Check out B.C. Place’s ShareWares reusable cup system now being used stadium wide. pic.twitter.com/aHzMJ7Wlli—ChadPawsonSo if one of the province’s largest hospitality providers can make great strides in waste diversion, can other smaller providers also reduce packaging and food waste in meaningful ways?“Absolutely, and I think that they should be,” said Stephanie Couture, a caterer for the Vancouver Convention Centre when it hosted Metro Vancouver’s annual Zero Waste conference this week.The convention practices what it preaches by aligning food supply to meet demand, so food waste is avoided. It also does small things — like not selling plastic water bottles and single-packaged foods, and using cloth napkins.A key theme of the conference is how to create a circular economy, and this year a session looked at the “challenges and opportunities” for waste reduction in the hospitality and entertainment sector.Is the cost of sustainability worth it?Julia Canton, the sustainability manager of Huntingdon Manor Hotel and Pendray Inn and Tea House in Victoria, was part of talks at the session over how the two properties have incorporated sustainability.They spent a few thousand dollars for a third-party audit on food waste, $15,000 on operational changes related to that — but are now saving $64,000 a year. It works out to be a 26 per cent savings in food costs, according to Canton.“So it’s definitely worth it,” she said about the upfront costs to help save the environment, and a business’s bottom line, over the long run.Julia Canton, sustainability manager for Victoria’s Huntingdon Manor Hotel and Pendray Inn and Tea House is seen at the Zero Waste conference in Vancouver. (Ben Nelms/CBC)The two hotels have also installed water fountains for guest use with reusable containers, promoting Victoria’s municipal water and saving thousands of dollars in bottled water.She acknowledges that the hospitality sector, especially restaurants, can have incredibly tight profit margins — but passing sustainability costs onto guests is often well received.“Usually people, once they understand where the cost goes … they’re more likely to spend a little bit more and help the business get there.”
How B.C.s hospitality sector is trying to solve its garbage problem
