Waste management at tournament sites
Initiative description: Implementing and enhancing waste management in FIFA World Cup 2022™ site construction and operations, to facilitate the avoidance, reduction, segregation, reuse, recycling and composting of waste.
Hosting the FIFA World Cup 2022™ brought associated obligations to manage waste sustainably in both the construction of infrastructure and in the operation of the event itself. In line with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Sustainability Strategy, tournament organisers developed and implemented detailed waste management programmes during both these stages to minimise waste generation and maximise recycling. On average, 79% of construction waste was diverted from landfill. During tournament time, 77% of the waste from stadium operations was recycled or composted, and 55% of waste from other tournament sites, such as the FIFA Fan Festival™ in Qatar, Tournament Headquarters and the Main Media Centre was recycled.
Waste management practices during construction of stadiums
Construction waste in Qatar accounts for 70% to 80% of the total solid waste*. Effective waste management was an important consideration throughout the construction programme, ensuring materials such as concrete, metals, plastic, wood, paper and cardboard were diverted from landfill. The focus on the waste hierarchy – avoid, reduce, reuse and recycle – to prevent waste going to landfill delivered positive results.
An average of 79% of construction waste (by weight) was diverted from landfill during stadium construction. Waste segregation at source was a key factor in maximising the quantities recycled. The table below indicates the construction waste diverted from landfill for each stadium that was constructed.
| Percentage of construction waste diverted from landfill by weight | |
|---|---|
| Al Bayt Stadium | 80% |
| Al Janoub Stadium | 90% |
| Ahmad bin Ali Stadium | 84% |
| Al Thumama Stadium | 73% |
| Education City Stadium | 72% |
| Lusail Stadium | 74% |
| Stadium 974 | 95% |
| Average | 79% |
*Excludes Khalifa International Stadium as the stadium’s construction programme was limited to refurbishment only.
In 2020, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) carried out a detailed study of waste management at the stadium sites with support from the Gulf Organisation for Research & Development (GORD). As a result, a report highlighting 23 best practices used at SC stadium project sites was published for the purpose of sharing knowledge, experience and legacy with the construction sector. These practices include approaches to reduce single-use plastics and food waste, reuse demolition waste, recycle wood into mulch, and apply methods for the appropriate disposal of hazardous waste. The report also outlines the value of staff awareness programmes and factors such as the need for adequate space, labour and machinery to facilitate effective waste management on-site.
*These figures apply to 2013 and are based on the Qatar Second National Development Strategy 2018-2022 (page 294).
Waste minimisation during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™
A comprehensive waste management programme was put in place for tournament-time operations to encourage circularity, minimise waste to landfill and reduce associated greenhouse gas emissions. This programme included:
gathering information and testing assumptions at test events;
waste avoidance and reduction through sustainable procurement;
training and awareness raising;
waste segregation; and
downstream waste management.
Gathering information and testing assumptions at test events
The FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020™ presented an opportunity to assess the key waste streams and test our operations and systems. Observations showed that catering operations for workforce and food and beverage services for spectators created significant waste during the tournament, with signage and dressing materials being the largest stream of waste during the venue dismantling phase. Whilst overlay was expected to be a large generator of waste, where possible, temporary infrastructure such as tents, were rented or purchased with the intention to be reused at future events.
Furthermore, the FIFA Arab Cup 2021™ enabled the tournament organisers to test the value of manual back-of-house segregation at the Al Bayt Stadium waste compound to increase recycling rates. This segregation process was carried out by a specialised company. The results showed that this additional segregation significantly increased the recycling rates, with Al Bayt Stadium achieving a recycling rate of 70%, while the other stadiums recycled between 42% and 50% of their waste.
The findings from the test events informed our focus on waste created by catering, signage and dressing, and the implementation of manual back-of-house waste segregation at all stadiums during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. The events also confirmed that further efforts needed to be implemented in the front-of-house with workforce, spectators and contractors, to reduce waste contamination, facilitate the additional segregation efforts and maximise recycling rates.
Waste avoidance and reduction through sustainable procurement
Efforts were taken both prior to and during the tournament to minimise upstream waste generation from tournament-related activities.
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Sustainable Sourcing Code was a key enabler of the waste management programme as it required business partners/suppliers to avoid and reduce any material going to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ sites. In collaboration with various functional areas, it was possible to eliminate or reduce some of the single-use giveaways, signage and packaging materials that were not considered absolutely necessary.
Where avoidance or reduction were not possible, business partners/suppliers were required to design for reuse, recycling and composting; to avoid single-use plastics and oxo-degradable plastics; and to use products and packaging that maximise reused or recycled content.
For more information about the application and enforcement of the Sustainable Sourcing Code please visit the sustainable procurement web page of this report.
Catering
With catering operations for workforce and food and beverage services for spectators anticipated as the largest generator of waste during the tournament, organisers focused on reducing food waste (and its associated packaging) at the stadiums through a food waste minimisation policy and procedures that prioritised actions for food waste minimisation. This included reduction at source through careful planning and unconsumed meal tracking, redistribution of safe food to workforce on-site, and food donation to local communities.
The waste minimisation policy and procedures were first tested at the Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ and finalised shortly before the tournament. Despite efforts to minimise food waste, a lot of food waste was still generated (see 'Downstream waste management' section below). With more forward planning, the food minimisation programme had the potential to yield much greater reductions at source and donations to local communities.
Food donations
Tournament organisers partnered with Hifz Al Naema, a local charity, to donate leftover food that was safe for consumption. Over 8 tonnes of unconsumed food was made available through a total of 133 pick-ups from the tournament sites. Donations were distributed by the charity either as packaged meals requiring consumption within a short time frame or larger donations of longer-lasting food packages, thus providing support to registered individuals and families and helping to divert waste from landfill.
Tournament organisers also focused on avoiding non-recyclable and non-compostable packaging through procurement and contract management at the stadiums and the FIFA Fan Festival™ in Qatar. This was achieved primarily through the agreement in contracts to use reusable plates, cutlery and on-site dishwashing equipment for workforce canteens. Where reusable plates and cutlery could not be used, compostable packaging and cutlery were utilised in accordance with international composting standards (EN 13432, ASTM D6400 and AS 4736). For example, reusable plates were not a practicable solution at remote sites without permanent water connections, sites with space restrictions for dishwashers, or meals that needed to be consumed while workers were at their posts. For spectators, food items were provided using compostable packaging and cutlery where possible. Where compostable or recyclable packaging could not be used due to food safety requirements, such as temperature maintenance for hot foods, composite foil and paper wraps were used. Drinking straws and single-use plastic bags were also prohibited in all areas and, where possible, condiments and items such as teabags were provided in bulk to avoid individual wrapping.
Beverages
With the aim of avoiding large volumes of plastic waste from single-use water bottles, over 43,000 reusable water bottles were provided to accredited persons, including staff, volunteers, media representatives and Media Rights Licensees*. Around 290 filtered drinking water fountains, installed in back-of-house areas at official and non-official sites, could be used to re-fill reusable water bottles. It is estimated that this project helped to avoid over 300,000 single-use 500ml plastic bottles based on water meter readings.
The plastic bottles for Coca-Cola’s range of beverages sold across official FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ sites were produced from recycled plastic (rPET). This marked the first time Coca-Cola used 100% rPET bottles at a mega-sporting event, which was facilitated by the recent changes in Qatari law that permitted food grade packaging made from recycled materials to be used in Qatar in line with the GCC Standardization Organization’s GSO 2454:2021 regulation. Coca-Cola commemorative cups were only provided at the three matches played by hosts Qatar, the semi-finals and the final, rather than all 64 matches as has been the case at previous editions of the FIFA World Cup™. All commemorative cups provided for spectators were recyclable in Qatar.
* A total of 29,000 FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ branded reusable bottles were provided as a gift to staff and volunteers, and 14,300 were provided to the media and Media Rights Licensees.
Signage and dressing
Temporary signage and dressing materials were used for wayfinding and to enhance the fan experience through branding.
Signage and dressing were designed with the aim of producing only the quantities that were needed to stage the tournament, with repurposing and recycling in mind. This included the following:
Signage structures to be assembled from modular components to which external wraps with branding could be applied. This enables the structure to be reused from event to event.
Dressing to be made with polyester fabric, a material that can be repurposed and is also recyclable. For example, a significant portion of polyester fabric from the FIFA Arab Cup 2021™ was reused to create more than 28,700 uniform distribution bags for staff and volunteers for the FIFA World Cup 2022™, hence avoiding waste and the need to purchase bags for uniform distribution.
Polypropylene rather than non-recyclable foam signage boards were used in some instances during the FIFA Arab Cup 2021™ and the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. Polypropylene is a material which can be and has been recycled in Qatar. For example, over 4,800 kg of polypropylene signage from the FIFA Arab Cup 2021™ was recycled into plastic buckets, which were sold locally in Qatar.
Training and awareness raising
Awareness-raising modules on waste minimisation and recycling were incorporated into the tournament workforce training programme. This included general and venue-specific, as well as role-specific training for key waste-generating functions (i.e. functions or teams that had the potential to generate large amounts of waste such as catering). The modules were designed to ensure that individuals understood the importance of proper waste segregation and recycling at the tournament. For more information on the training and awareness-raising programme, please visit the capacity building and awareness-raising and the volunteer capacity building programme web pages of this report.
Make recycling your goal at the FIFA World Cup 2022™
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ also provided the opportunity to build the sustainability awareness of football fans and stakeholders around the world. As part of the ‘Save the Planet’ campaign, tournament organisers encouraged fans to recycle. FIFA Legend and FIFA World Cup™ winner Marcel Desailly headlined the ‘Recycle – Make it your Goal’ drive which included a press release, videos and messaging that were shared on the FIFA website, social media and in the stadiums. Additionally, before each match, a fan observed recycling correctly was made "Green Fan of the Match” and interviewed on the in-stadium big screen. These activities were supplemented by sustainability volunteers who raised awareness on the importance of recycling and the fun facts and tips included in the Hayya (Fan ID) app and the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Fan Guide (page 21).
Despite the efforts to raise awareness among spectators and the workforce, as well as the provision of awareness-raising and training regarding proper waste segregation and recycling, it was observed that there was poor source segregation in all areas. This is most likely due to the need to segregate waste 'on the go’ in crowds, as well as the variety of recycling awareness levels present at tournament sites.
Waste segregation
Stadiums: front and back of house
A two-bin system was implemented in front of house areas, with black signage depicting general waste, and blue stickers for dry recycling.
A three-bin system was implemented in kitchen areas and canteens where food was consumed, with black stickers depicting general waste, blue stickers for dry recycling and green stickers for compostable waste. In other back-of-house areas and in spectator facing areas, only general waste and recycling bins were provided. Glass was almost always used just in catering back-of-house areas, and dedicated glass collection bins were placed in those specific locations. Electronic waste, including unwanted broadcast and IT cabling equipment, was also collected. Wood materials, such as pallets and boxes, were disposed of directly into the on-site composting units.
Stadiums: waste compound and further segregation
Each waste compound at the stadiums had a dedicated waste segregation team, which played a critical role in ensuring that waste was properly segregated to maximise recycling. Waste arriving to the waste compounds was further segregated into separate recycling streams and transferred to the relevant recycling facility (see the recycling solutions in Qatar web page of this report). Compostable waste was placed into the on-site composting units. The waste was partially composted onsite, and further processed into fertiliser at a local farm.
Residual non-recyclable waste was collected from the waste compounds by the Ministry of Municipality and transported to the local Domestic Solid Waste Management Centre, where it then went through manual and mechanical sorting processes for further recovery of recyclable and compostable materials. Residual waste was then processed in the waste-to-energy plant, and remaining minor quantity of ash from incineration was sent to the engineered landfill within the facility boundary.
Other FIFA World Cup™ official sites
Whilst the stadiums hosted the matches, several other official and non-official sites were essential to the successful delivery of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.
At the FIFA Fan Festival™ in Doha, waste was segregated as it was at the stadiums. At other official and non-official FIFA World Cup™ sites, both two- and three- bin systems were used (general waste and mixed recycling bins, and where applicable/available composting or card and paper bins). Waste was collected from waste compounds by the Ministry of Municipality in all instances, with the exception of the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) and the Doha Exhibition Centre (DEC), which hosted the headquarters of various tournament operations, where waste was handled by a private contractor.
Downstream waste management
Waste and recycling data was tracked using an integrated Solid Waste Information Management (SWIM) platform – a tool created by the SC to help to streamline, standardise and centralise waste management data for tracking and reporting purposes. Waste removed from each site was recorded. Waste transfer notes and receipts indicating the collection site, weight, type of waste and final destination were also included as supporting documentation for each data entry made in the SWIM tool. The reported data was then reviewed for its accuracy and approved by the designated SC review team. The system, which was hosted on a business intelligence platform, produced live dashboards for the management team to monitor progress and ensure the process was functioning as intended. A user manual was also created to assist all users and included support and escalation procedures while using the tool.
Approximately 77% of the waste from stadium operations was recycled or composted, with the remaining waste used to generate energy in the municipal waste-to-energy plant. About 55% of waste from other tournament sites, such as the FIFA Fan Festival™, Tournament Headquarters and Main Media Centre was recycled or composted. Approximately 67% of waste was recycled or composted across all sites (including official and non-official sites)*.
Overall, around 30% of waste from all sites was used to generate energy, while approximately 3.4% was sent to landfill. Waste sent to landfill was from the QNCC and DEC. These sites already had waste management processes in place, which were led by a third party, whereas at all the other sites, including the stadiums, the waste management services provider was contracted directly by the tournament organisers.
Recycling rates achieved at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ were significantly higher than the national target to recycle 15% of the solid waste generated by the end of 2022 and than recent editions of the FIFA World Cup™.
About 40% of total waste generated at the tournament was organic, which included grass clippings, compostable food packaging and service ware, and wood. This waste was processed into compost for use at a local farm. The use of compostable food packaging (rather than non-compostable food packaging) contributed to the high grade of compost material that was created. However, compostable packaging also created a challenge as it was not always easy for users to differentiate between what was compostable and what was not (e.g. plant-based v. oil-based plastics). Additionally, compostable bins were not available in front-of-house areas. Despite efforts to minimise food waste as explained above, it was observed that some of the food waste appeared to still be fit for consumption, including unopened boxes of crackers, whole fruits, loaves of bread and unserved meals.
* At the time of writing this report, plastic films and metals had been recycled, organic material had been composted, and glass had been crushed for use in construction materials. Electronics and rPET and PET bottles had not been recycled yet (only shredded and in storage). Host country-organised fan zones, categorised as non-official sites, are not included in these estimations.
Glass was crushed and processed to be used as construction material by a local construction company. Electronic waste collected from stadiums and the QNCC was sent to a local electronics recycling facility. In addition, various broken electronic equipment from the tournament, such as torches, small appliances, electronic sanitiser stands, batteries, TVs, etc, were also sent for recycling at the same facility.
The total amount of waste generated and recycled during the operational phases of each site and the amount of residual waste that was converted to energy for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ is summarised in the table below. This does not include set-up and dismantling waste, which was the responsibility of the contractors to manage, including signage and dressing.
For information on local solutions identified and developed for different types of waste, please visit the recycling solutions in Qatar web page of this report.
Hazardous waste
Approximately 360 kg of hazardous (medical) waste was generated during the tournament and incinerated by Hamad Medical Corporation as per government regulations.
Signage and Dressing
In addition to the recycling data presented above, some of the signage and dressing materials from the tournament were recycled in collaboration with tournament signage suppliers as well as local and regional recycling facilities as follows:
--- A total of 11 tonnes of plastic sheet signage made from polypropylene used at the stadiums was recycled at a local recycling factory in Doha.
--- A total of 88 tonnes of polyester fabric was recycled at a plastic factory located in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - the closest facility that could recycle used polyester fabric. Following lab testing of materials used at the FIFA Arab Cup 2021™ to confirm recyclability, a collaboration agreement for recycling was entered into with the facility.
Approximately 66 tonnes were from stadiums and 13 tonnes from the FIFA Fan Festival™
The fabric was processed into plastic pellets that are used as raw material for the production of new plastic products at other facilities.
--- Polyester fabric from the official sites was reserved to (locally) produce approximately 10,000 tote bags for the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ (this was in addition to the polyester fabric recycled in Saudi Arabia).
Please note that an additional 86 tonnes of polyester fabric used for city dressing, including at sites such as the Corniche Activation, airport, transport hubs, Last Mile etc., were also collected post-tournament. Options for the reuse and/or recycling of this fabric were being pursued by the SC at the time of writing this report.
Responsible contractors
Tournament organisers endeavoured to maximise engagement with responsible contractors wherever possible. This was demonstrated by the main supplier of signage for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™:
Over 300 tonnes of aluminium was produced for hardware for the tournament. About 90% of this will become part of the company’s re-use programme, while the remainder of it was recycled. Once the product can no longer be reused, it will be recycled.
Over 1,300 wayfinding structures were built for the tournament. These structures will be reused at future events, and will only require replacement of the graphic that can also be recycled.