Anheuser-Busch announced it is bringing a Cycle reverse vending machine to the Super Bowl, giving fans a chance to score an environmental touchdown and win some big-time prizes. Anheuser-Busch was the first company to bring the Cycle powered by Recycle Track Systems (RTS) reverse vending machines to both NFL and MLB stadiums.
Every beverage container recycled using the Cycle reverse vending machine will give fans an instant prize as well as an opportunity to be entered to win a pair of tickets to the 2023 NFL regular season. There will be 10 grand prize winners, and those will be announced by the end of March. The contest is part of Anheuser-Busch’s “National Recycling League” (NRL), which was created in 2022 to help reduce waste on game days across multiple professional sports leagues.
“We approach everything we do at Anheuser-Busch with an innovative mindset so that we can create an outsized impact for our customers, our communities and our environment,” said Brendan Whitworth, CEO of Anheuser-Busch. “Since the creation of the National Recycling League last year, we’ve worked together with our professional league and team partners and sports fans to divert thousands of pounds of recyclables out of landfills — truly working towards a shared dream of a future with less game day waste and more cheers.”
The NRL was created by Anheuser-Busch to bring visibility to the importance of recycling and impact those behaviors among consumers wherever they cheer on their favorite team — whether in-stadium, at home or at their local neighborhood bar. It brings together league partners to create a professional multi-league recycling competition.
The league is currently made up of teams from the MLB and NFL, with more professional sports leagues coming on board later this year. Ten NFL teams worked with Anheuser-Busch on recycling and waste-reducing programs during the 2022-2023 season — including the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks.
Each team committed to implementing a range of new, innovative NRL activations aimed at reducing waste and improving recycling rates at stadiums to help divert recyclable materials such as beer bottles and cans from landfills. Activations included offering infinitely recyclable aluminum cups to fans instead of single-use plastic, in-seat recycling decals and in-stadium signage sharing a simple call-to-action with consumers — ‘Recycle Like a Champion.’
”Rewarding fans for recycling has changed the game for sustainability and the path to net zero. At RTS, we celebrate our partnership with Anheuser-Busch to bring our Cycle reverse vending machine to the Super Bowl and provide real-time fan engagement and recycling data for the biggest game in sports. We were energized to see Cycle kick off our collective efforts to build a future without waste,” said Greg Lettieri, CEO of RTS and Cycle powered by RTS.
Looking ahead to 2023, Anheuser-Busch plans to work alongside established NRL teams to make a bigger impact, as well as open discussions with other professional teams and leagues to enlist them to participate in the NRL in the years to come.
For more than 160 years, Anheuser-Busch has carried on a legacy of brewing beers that have satisfied beer drinkers for generations. Anheuser-Busch owns and operates more than 120 facilities, including breweries, wholesaler distribution centers, agricultural facilities and packaging plants, and has more than 19,000 colleagues across the U.S.