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Making Sport Less Wasteful: Give Your Gear a Second Life

Green Sport Day on October 6 is a chance to look at sport a little differently. Before we throw something away, can we give it another life?

Sport gets us moving and brings our communities together. But it also uses a lot of equipment, uniforms, water bottles, food packaging and other materials. Multiply that by thousands of athletes, practices, games and tournaments, and the waste adds up.

We know there is a significant opportunity to keep more of what we use in the game and out of the landfill. The Calgary Flames Sports Bank is a great example of what can happen when sport embraces reuse. In 2025, the Sports Bank collected thousands of pieces of equipment; more than 19,335 pieces of equipment were redistributed to more than 4,264 children.

And it isn’t just hockey. Equipment for soccer, baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, badminton and other sports can find a second life.

Green Sport Day isn’t about being perfect. It’s about doing one thing differently.

  1. Donate gear you no longer use.
  2. Repair something instead of replacing it.
  3. Swap equipment with another athlete.
  4. Borrow instead of buying.
  5. Make sport greener
  6. Bring a reusable water bottle.
  7. Carpool, walk or bike to practice.
  8. Reduce waste at your next tournament.

Or ask your team: What’s one thing we can do to make our sport less wasteful?

So what can Athletes, supporters and club do?

Before you throw something away, ask: Can I reuse it? Can I repair it? Can someone else use it? Can it be recycled?

Keep Gear in Play.

Kids grow. Athletes change sports. Equipment is often replaced while it still has plenty of life left.

Before buying new, consider whether you can borrow or rent equipment you only need occasionally, buy used, swap gear with teammates, pass outgrown equipment on to another family, or create a club equipment library. And when equipment is no longer needed, donate it rather than letting it collect dust or end up in the landfill.

1.       Donate

  • General sport equipment:

The Calgary Flames Sports Bank accepts gently used sports equipment and provides it to youth who need it. Other options include community organizations, second-hand sport stores and community exchange groups.
visit https://www.flamessportsbank.ca for more information

2.       Repair

A broken zipper, torn glove, worn skate or damaged bag doesn’t necessarily need to be replaced.

Calgary has businesses that repair sports and outdoor equipment, including:

There are a number of mobile repair shops that can come to you

Repairing equipment keeps the materials and energy that went into making it in use for longer.

3.       Buy, sell swap: the second hand market

4.       Rent your gear

5.       Make Sport Greener

Big or small, sporting events create another stream of waste: bottles, cups, food packaging, paper, signage and leftover food.

Small changes can make a difference:

  • Bring reusable water bottles and provide refill stations
  • Use recycling and compost bins
  • Replace printed schedules with digital ones
  • Reuse signage and event materials
  • Reduce single-use packaging
  • Encourage carpooling, transit, walking and cycling
  • Donate or redistribute leftover food
  • Reuse equipment and supplies between events

Green Sport Day is October 6, but the goal is a lasting change in how we use the resources that make sport possible.

One action may seem small. But when thousands of Calgary athletes, families, teams and sport organizations make one change, the impact can be huge.

Let’s keep good equipment — and good resources — in the game for as long as possible.