Pittsburgh Pirates continue to maintain the PNC Park Urban Garden. The Urban Garden uses sustainable practices and provides vegetables and herbs, grown on-site, to be used in Pirates players' favorite healthy dishes prepared by the Pirates Executive Chef Tony Palatucci.
LET'S GO BUCS. LET'S GO GREEN.
DUQUESNE LIGHT POWER HITTERS PROGRAM
The Pirates and Duquesne Light teamed up for a unique Power Hitters Program that resulted in 282 trees being planted in Pittsburgh over the course of the 2021 and 2022 season. These trees were planted in underserved communities and targeted historically marginalized neighborhoods because research shows these neighborhoods are more susceptible to "heat island impacts," which can cause impaired water quality, increased energy consumption, and compromised health quality. The neighborhoods are urban areas with buildings, roads, and other infrastructure that absorb the suns heat more than naturally landscaped areas. This causes the neighborhoods to become "islands" of higher temperatures relative to outlying areas.
PNC PARK URBAN GARDEN
RECYCLING
Just like families at home, our Pirates family works hard each season to reduce, reuse and recycle, not just on Earth Day, but every day. In over a decade of sustainability efforts at PNC Park, the Pirates and our partners have recycled...
Cardboard
1,825 Tons
That’s the equivalent weight of over 200 T-Rex dinos!
Fryer Oil
219 Tons
This oil is recycled and eventually used as biofuel.
Other Recyclables
2,492 Tons
Including electronics, toner cartridges, metal, batteries, and more.
Plastic
793 Tons
Including 1.3 million plastic bottles used by fans each season.
Mixed Paper
206 Tons
Plus, all paper in the front office is at least 30% post-consumer material.
Aluminum
521 Tons
Since we have started recycling, we have recycled 521 tons of aluminum.
COMPOSTING
Food
9,171 Tons
Yard Waste
2,037 Tons
What is composting, anyway?
Composting is organic recycling. Composting allows for the controlled collection of food & organic material, rather than waste-producing methane gas during decomposition in landfills. Direct benefits to soil include increased aeration and structural stability, improved activity of beneficial micro-organisms, faster root development, and ultimately higher yields of agricultural crops.
Consider this: If just 25 Pirates fans diverted their food waste to composting for one year, it would equal eliminating the emissions from a 6,000-mile train trip!
FOOD DONATIONS
Over 29,450 pounds of food was donated between Pirates Executive Chef Tony and Aramark to 412 Food Rescue in 2023.
The Pirates sustainability practices successfully divert more than 70-percent of the ballpark waste out of the waste stream each year, equivalent to more than 1,650 tons of materials.
- Averaged a 70% diversion rate since the inception of the Pirates sustainability efforts.
- 71% Diversion rate in 2023
- Diverted over 1664 tons of materials from landfills in 2023.
- 7-time winners of the Green Glove Award for the National League Central.