Toronto is one of 15 host cities for the FIFA men’s World Cup in 2026, and our city is grappling with the costs and the opportunities such a mega event can bring.

TEA has been working closely with other community and environmental groups to call for a strong environmental, community, and social benefit legacy from the FIFA games. 

If the FIFA games in Toronto adopted reusable cups at the stadium for all 6 matches, and reusable cups and dishes at the Fan Festival, we could eliminate more than 1.5 million disposables, 29 tonnes of waste! 

A key area of focus is on reducing the enormous amounts of waste from these huge events (Here’s our letter to City Council). In particular TEA is highlighting the opportunity to accelerate Toronto’s Single-Use Reduction Strategy and move away wasteful, single-use plastic cups, bottles, and dishes to waste-free reusable alternatives. At TEA we saw a major opportunity to integrate reusables into Toronto culture and bring this practice to new audiences through a major sporting event.

Over the last year, TEA has been undertaking research into the potential for the FIFA games in Toronto and Vancouver to accelerate the shift away from single-use plastic and towards reusables at events and stadiums. We’ve been meeting with local businesses that provide reusable dishes and washing services for events, venue operators, and reuse and waste experts around the world to determine just how big the opportunity is. 

Leading mega events around the world, like the Paris Olympics, stadiums across the US and (BC Place in Vancouver!) have adopted reusable cups and dishes. 

Adopting reusables would not only eliminate waste at the event, but it would provide the reusable foodware and infrastructure needed to permanently replace single-use at major events and celebrations in our city. This also fits with Council’s direction to staff to develop a policy that requires major venues and events to provide reusable foodware for on-site dining.

TEA is sharing these findings with City Councillors, the FIFA secretariat office, venue operators, and the public to inspire and propel action towards reuse.