READ MORE: Will the World Cup bring its promised big payoff for South Florida?<\/a><\/p>\n \u201c\u200aOn one hand, the timing of it all is not ideal ’cause we’re having this huge event while we’re dealing with all these problems,\u201d Maddie Kaufman, the zero-waste institutional change director at Debris Free Oceans, a Miami-based nonprofit, told WLRN. <\/p>\n \u201cBut I feel like people react and find solutions in times of crisis, and so I really see this as kind of a silver lining where we can really implement solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n The group\u2019s campaign to raise awareness about waste during the World Cup is called Kick the Cup<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a new concept. We\u2019ve gotta start just raising awareness on it and then get into implementing it.”<\/p>\n Maddie Kaufman, Debris Free Oceans<\/p>\n The sheer amount of trash that’s likely to be generated by the World Cup is staggering. The 2020 Super Bowl in Miami Gardens generated<\/a> about 80,000 pounds of trash. Each of the seven World Cup games could be the equivalent of its own Super Bowl, said Kaufman. That would add up to over half a million pounds of trash.<\/p>\n Then there’s all the side parties and watch events.<\/p>\n Normally, groups like Debris Free Oceans would work directly with venues like Hard Rock Stadium to implement policies on reducing waste for major events, but since tournament organizing body FIFA controls everything during the World Cup \u2014 down to renaming the stadiums where games are played \u2014 it has made it \u201cchallenging\u201d to work on the World Cup itself, said Kaufman.<\/p>\n Bayfront Park Management Trust<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n via Facebook <\/p>\n FILE – Aerial view of Bayfront Park in downtown Miami, where the South Florida Fan Fest for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is planned to take place. <\/p>\n The group has instead turned its attention to Fan Fest, a publicly funded<\/a> watch party event taking place at Bayfront Park in downtown Miami. The event expects to draw at least 30,000 visitors per day for the duration of the entire tournament, from June 13 to July 5.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aI’m very eager to see what we’re able to achieve at Fan Fest,\u201d said Kaufman, noting that conversations are ongoing.<\/p>\n Debris Free Oceans is focused primarily on transitioning venues like the Kaseya Center, the BB&T Center and Hard Rock Stadium into reusable materials, and away from merely thinking about recycling. The group already works with the World Jai-Alai League at the newly renovated JAM Arena<\/a>, offering reusable cups to game attendees. <\/p>\n But other cities have seen success at a different scale, something Kaufman wants to emulate. In Seattle, a third-party company is working with sports venues to wash and reuse aluminium cups<\/a>, preventing waste from heading to a landfill.<\/p>\n \u201cWe also love recycling, we also love composting, but our composting capacity is very limited. Our recycling can be very limited. And reuse is, according to several life-cycle analyses, the best way to address our waste crisis,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Debris Free Oceans<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Handout<\/p>\n Debris Free Miami has been working across South Florida to implement cup reuse policies. The group works wit <\/p>\n![\"Aerial](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778754970_223_.jpeg\"\/)
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