Nassau Coliseum, Barclays To Eliminate Plastic Straws At Events

Brooklyn Sports Entertainment, the owner of Nassau Coliseum and the Barclays Center, announced on Thursday that it would be eliminating single-use plastic straws at all events at both venues by 2019. It would make them the first sports and entertainment venues in the New York area to do so.

BSE says the move will eliminate the use of 5.5 million straws annually between the two venues. Levy Restaurants, the venues' food and beverage provider, will offer guests a strawless lid or alternative-material straw option, which will be compostable, upon request.

“Since opening Barclays Center, sustainability has been a priority and a core value for our company,” said Brett Yormark, CEO of BSE Global. “I want to thank BSE Advisory Board member Adrian Grenier, co-founder of Lonely Whale, for inspiring us to be a leader in this movement.”

The Nassau Coliseum, which reopened in April 2017 after a $180 million renovation, features a steel façade that is made of nearly 100 percent recycled material, while some 50 percent of the demolition material from the renovation was diverted, sorted and recycled. The venue worked with Ecologic Solutions to install electro-chemically activated cleaning technology, utilizing salt water and electricity to produce an all-purpose cleaning detergent and sanitizer disinfectant onsite, reducing the amount of packaging and waste associated with these purchases.

Photo courtesy Gov. Cuomo's Office