During the second half of the 2023 season, Surrey County Cricket Club and The Kia Oval donated over 770kg of food to 128 local families on matchdays. The Club teamed up with Olio, a food-sharing app, that works to minimise the amount of food wasted.
Surplus staff meals – including items such as sandwiches, wraps, pasta pots, and fruit pots – and hospitality picnic hampers were collected on matchdays and then distributed by Olio to households in the areas surrounding The Kia Oval, meaning 1,834 meals and 2,924 food items were utilised to good effect and did not go to waste.
By giving the meals away, when they would otherwise have been wasted, around 3,321kg of CO2 emissions were avoided and over 575kl of water was saved that would have otherwise been used in the disposal process, and an estimated 11,292 car miles were taken off the road as well.
After being donated to Olio, the food was hand-distributed by volunteers on bikes or on foot to households in the local area.
Surrey’s association with Olio is in keeping with their sustainable approach towards food recycling and disposal. Where possible, food at The Kia Oval is served in compostable packaging and the ground has installed a comprehensive compostable waste stream to tackle the problem of food waste spoiling large parts of the dry mixed recycling. Kitchens at the ground use an ‘Orca’ machine that processes food waste into a liquid, which can then be disposed of using the regular drainage system.
Emily Iveson‑Pritchard, Head of Sustainability at Surrey CCC, said: “We are glad that the Club has been able to help out many households neighbouring The Kia Oval. Surrey are constantly searching for innovative ways and collaborating with like-minded partners to be more eco-friendly.
“Our People Operations team worked passionately throughout the season to deliver this initiative. On each match day, they helped in assembling and organising the unused food before it was collected by Olio’s volunteers.
“Olio’s is a great climate-conscious project that is making a significant impact in local communities across the country.”
To read more about sustainability at The Kia Oval, visit here.
