WM partners with Cleveland arena and sports teams

WM has announced a new partnership with Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Cleveland Monsters to support the organizations’ environmental sustainability vision and strategy.

Houston-based waste management company WM says it will leverage its more than 30-year history of sustainability expertise to help improve environmental impact for Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the Cavaliers and the Monsters in their 2024-25 seasons and work toward meaningful, data-driven results.

Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is a sports and entertainment facility and home to the Cavaliers, a National Basketball Association (NBA) team, the Monsters, an American Hockey League affiliate, and the annual MAC men’s and women’s basketball tournament.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to partner with WM to advance our sustainability ambitions and continue to find avenues to expand the impact our business has on the environment,” says Antony Bonavita, executive vice president and chief venues and development officer for Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and the Cleveland Cavaliers. “With WM’s support, we hope to enhance our data collection and benchmarking, set and meet our sustainability goals, manage materials and operations across our organization and, most importantly, support and educate our fans and team members in their own sustainability practices.”

RELATED: WM releases 2024 Sustainability Report

In September 2023, WM opened an approximately $30 million state-of-the-art, single-stream recycling facility in Cleveland, which is capable of processing up to 144,000 tons a year of recyclable material, which is part of WM’s previously planned investments in recycling infrastructure of over $1.4 billion from 2022-2026.

“As WM continues to grow the customers we serve in this capacity nationally, including sports leagues, events, teams and venues—we look forward to working alongside these leading Ohio entities to design customized sustainability solutions intended to help them continue to lead now and into the future,” says Eric Dixon, vice president of sustainability and environmental solutions at WM.

Outside of WM’s sustainability advisory services, the collaboration will feature multiple new fan activations and experiences at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse during Cavaliers and Monsters games for the teams’ 2024-25 seasons. Select activations include:

• Will It Recycle? Annual Campaign: Will It Recycle is WM’s annual campaign to encourage the practice of recycling. Fans will have the opportunity to compete in a timeout promotion during select Cavaliers and Monsters games for a chance to win a trip to the WM Phoenix Open, a PGA Tournament event.
• WM Member Seat of the Game: The WM Member Seat, an upcycled dumpster converted to a couch, will be unveiled during the home opener games for both the Cavaliers and the Monsters. Throughout the upcoming seasons, the teams will select two fans during their games to be the WM Members of the Game, highlighting them on the Humongotron and upgrading their seats to the upcycled couch.
• Limited Edition Team Shop Drop: The Cavaliers, Monsters and WM will also partner on a limited-edition merchandise drop in Center Court, the team shop at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, that will include upcycled and sustainably sourced items. More information about the merchandise will become available throughout the season.

“A year ago, our team celebrated the grand opening of our WM Cleveland Recycling Facility, increasing recycling solutions here in Ohio and helping give materials a second life,” says Aaron Johnson, Great Lakes area vice president at WM. “We are thrilled to establish local community collaborations to potentially drive circular action in Ohio alongside the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Monsters and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.”