RIP Beer Snake: Plastic Cups Banned From Sydney Showground

It truly is the end of an era: the Sydney Showground has announced a plastic cup ban that will see the end of the beer snake.

According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, the venue has signed a multi-year deal with environmentally friendly company WISE, who will provide re-usable cups at a cost of $1 a head.

It's in an effort to combat the jaw-dropping amount of plastic that's churned through on game days; one Boxing Day Test at the MCG saw 500,000 disposable cups handed out, while it's estimated that about 12 million plastic cups are used during the AFL season around the country.

Footy fans will now pay a $2 up-front deposit for their first reusable cup, and, upon returning the cup, will then be re-issued a new, clean cup for every subsequent beverage.

When the final whistle blows, punters can then either return their cup for a $1 refund or donate their gold coin to charity and keep the cup.

A trial during the Sydney 7s earlier this year saw fans react favourably to the idea, which WISE CEO and co-founder Craig Lovett says is a step in the right direction for environmental responsibility.

"Over five million disposable plastic cups are going to landfill in Australia each month," he said. "They are contaminating our land and are ending up in waterways, rivers and beaches."

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