🏉 Scrappy 7s Impact Report

Scrappy7s is the sports team of Scrapp. They are a rugby 7s team that represent Scrapp’s mission of bringing awareness to reducing waste on the planet. After a successful 2023 season, they are back in 2024 and better than ever.

In June 2024, they had the first tournament of the new season at the Summer and Fitness Social, run by Gym + Coffee. The event saw thousands of festival goers attend to watch a range of sports, take part in CrossFit competitions and dance to music in the evening. In this most recent outing, the Scrapp team were onsite with them, using the event as a case study to track the impact Scrapp’s system can have on the events space.

Scrappy7s alone had 50 supporters that came to the event. During the day, all of the waste generated by the team’s crowd was collected. Using Scrapp’s tracking system, we were able to quantify the impact of the supporters that adopted Scrapp’s waste sorting techniques and input all of the waste data to see how much waste was being generated by the group. The results were surprising.

From the event, Scrapp’s supporters generated 0.5kgs of waste each. In total, this amounted to 25kgs of solid waste material. The breakdown of this can be found below:

Of the total amount generated, we were able to uncover some interesting insights from the group. When we dove deeper into the data, we got the following:

An important thing to note, is there were no recycling bins on the premises. This meant 100% of the waste that was generated was destined for landfill. But using Scrapp’s system for the select group of supporters, we found that we could reduce that amount to just 5% of the total waste generated. This included accounting for contamination rates. When we scale that to the waste generated to a festival roughly the size of Summer Social of 10,000 people, the potential impact is as follows:

💰 Economic

There are many economic benefits to sorting waste at the source - from increased revenue per bale of waste, to reduced landfill fees and contamination charges. These all vary locally and depend on your waste contract provider so are difficult to quantify for this example.

When we dug into the data of Scrappy7s though, we discovered that most of the waste generated were drinks containers. On the theme of the UK's Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) plans, we wanted to see how that could impact an event like a small festival. Creating an internal DRS system could unlock £12.4k in value for the attendees of the event. For a festival the size of Glastonbury, that is almost £250k each day! What is most compelling about internal DRS systems, is they isolate the high-value material from the low. This results in a cleaner waste stream, that has higher resale value and less contamination costs associated. It's a win-win for all parties. Reach out to enquiries@scrapprecycling.com if you'd like to learn more about how we can help you set up your own internal DRS schemes.

🫂 Social

The social impact of using Scrapp at a business or event is more qualitative, and really pushes on the educational aspect that Scrapp's system provides. Education, when done right, can have a lasting impact and encourage the positive behavior change over time.

🗺️ Environmental

Based on the data that was collected, we estimate the environmental impact of adopting Scrapp’s system could reduce 4.46 tons of waste going to landfill for a 10,000-person event. That is 4.46 tons of waste that could be recycled into new products or materials, rather than leaching into our ecosystems. Now, some organizations count 'Waste-to-energy' as going zero-waste. As you'll see in our previous blogs, we don't support that sentiment. Burning waste assumes an infinite mindset on finite resources. For us to turn the tide on the waste crisis, we must start treating waste like a resource, not an afterthought.

Hear from Ioan, Director of Scrappy7s, who had the following to say;

‍How do you think the day went?

The day was a success! We pulled people together from all different walks of life and into the Scrappy7s family, whether they were there to play, or there to have a few drinks and a bit of a socialise. Everyone did their part when it came to supporting the team, and all bought into the sustainability ethos that Scrapp provides. Shout-out goes to Nat Linn who had a handbag made from beer can tabs!

What is your hope for future sustainable events?

I’m hoping that within the couple of years, we are able to implement Scrapp's software to help the tournaments track their waste & improve the sustainability of their events. For now? Just to make sure that the Scrappy family do their part when it comes to cleaning up!

How do you make Scrappy7s sustainable (and what else could other events do)?

We’re quite keen on making sure we have visible bins for landfill & recycling. We also make sure that everything we bring, is able to be recycled or reused- i.e. cardboard packaging, metal cans, refillable water bottles, etc.

What's the mission with Scrappy7s

The mission for Scrappy 7s is to promote the Scrapp brand. One thing we identified is the corporate demographic seem to have a big interest in sport, with rugby & 7s being very popular. It certainly counts as a form of 'field' marketing, as the more success we find in the tournaments, the more the Scrapp name gets out there! It was great to walk away with a trophy from this event. For now, we are still expanding, and the name is only growing more and more, with more people buying into the team & the idea that we need to change our waste habits.

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How can Scrapp help you?

Are you a Business embarking on your own zero-waste journey? Our sustainability experts are here to guide you. So, if you need further guidance, personalized strategies, or more details about our digital recycling tools, don't hesitate to reach out. We're committed to helping you achieve your zero-waste goals.

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