I went to Miller Park  in Milwaukee and Nationals Park  in DC on back-to-back days in June. Both teams were out of town but I saw much of each stadium. Milwaukee actively promotes their recycling program with signage and those large recycling bins that look like plastic bottles. DC’s stadium has special bins just for used plastic bottles and cans, some with bottle-sized holes and others designed to be fun, with big batting helmets on them (built by a local Maryland company).

I’m a huge Angels fan, and you can’t miss the bins for collecting plastic water, soda, and beer bottles there, either.

I also saw a game at Seattle’s Safeco Field in early June. There they ask fans to separate their food and recyclables because they not only have recycling bins – they compost!

AT&T Park in San Francisco is a great example too. Late in the game, Manager Bruce Boche appears on the scoreboard and encourages fans to pass their recyclables to the end of their aisles where ushers collect items like plastic bottles for recycling. Here at Raley Field in Sacramento, the Oakland A’s AAA minor league team (the Rivercats) have a similar program.

As America’s pastime, baseball is full of tradition and sometimes slow to change. But even big league teams are quickly recognizing the importance of recycling and adapting accordingly.

It gets easier everyday to recycle when you’re away from home. If you’re at the game, remember to get those plastic bottles to the recycling bin. It’s great for the environment and a great way to teach the next generation about the importance of recycling our valuable resources.