Padres fans, how would you like to get some free beer for helping the environment?
Budweiser's parent company and one of Major League Baseball's biggest sponsors, Anheuser-Busch, said they will give a free beer to 1,000 San Diegans if our Padres fans recycle more than other Major League Baseball teams’ fans during games through May 31.
It's part of the brand's efforts to reduce waste on game days. And, it's pretty easy to do.
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Here's how it works. When you're at Petco Park enjoying a Padres game, make sure you're placing your cans, bottles and cups -- and any other recyclables -- into the correct bins.
The Petco Park staff will count those recyclables and submit the tally to Anheuser-Busch. If by the end of May, San Diego Padres fans collect more cans than the Houston Astros, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Texas Rangers and the Washington Nationals, we'll unlock a special promotion for free beer.
The first 1,000 fans who register here, are over 21, and live in San Diego County will get a $5 gift card that can be redeemed for Anheuser-Busch products.
To help the recycling efforts, the brewer is deploying so-called "recycling hawkers" that will collect recyclables from fans in the stands. The recycling hawkers are kind of like concession sellers but instead of shouting to "Get your cracker jacks, here," you may instead hear, "Give your cans, here!" (See them in action here.)
On top of upping its can recycling, some MLB stadiums will also be switching it beer cups to an all-aluminum recyclable design and increased signage to promote recycling.
Petco Park has taken on some green efforts of its own. The stadium says it diverts 70% of its waste from the landfill. It also has the largest solar project in the MLB, after replacing its sports lighting to with LED technology to reduce energy consumption.
