Avalanche trying to better the environment – with help from Ball Corp.

You may have noticed a lot more people walking around the Pepsi Center lately with shiny aluminum cups in which they are drinking their beer or soft drinks. You’ll probably see a lot more of them too.

Teaming up with Broomfield’s Ball Corporation, the Avs, Nuggets and Mammoth introduced the “infinitely recyclable” aluminum cups at the Pepsi Center last week. Aluminum is much more recyclable than plastics, and the goal of all of this is to rid the environment of so much of that plastic.

“We’re proud to team up with KSE to bring sports fans at Pepsi Center a sustainable beverage cup option and grow this offering across sports venues in the U.S.,” said John A. Hayes, Ball’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. – and the former owner of the Denver Cutthroats hockey team.  “As a premier sports and entertainment destination in Denver, Pepsi Center is making a meaningful difference on promoting sustainability in its industry. At Ball, we’ve seen alot of excitement for the aluminum cup since launch, and we look forward to NBA, NHL and NLL fans in Denver experiencing them for the first time.”

Ball and KSE hope that the introduction of the aluminum cup will inspire good recycling habits. The collaboration between the two Denver-based companies is part of Ball’s recently launched pilot program, which will produce a limited supply of aluminum cups through 2020 to meet current customer demand from major sports and entertainment venues seeking to replace plastic cups. The aluminum cups, which will be used at all Pepsi Center events for draft soda and beer products, is a milestone for KSE as it seeks to reduce plastic use and promote sustainability in its venues.

“KSE and the Pepsi Center have prioritized sustainability efforts in recent years, which have brought improvements around limiting energy use and consumption, and enhancing our recycling opportunities is a natural continuation of these efforts,” said Jim Martin, President and CEO of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. “Introducing the aluminum cup option provides a more sustainable gameday and event experience for our fans and we are thrilled to be the first professional sports arena to lead this change.”