Plastic: The football pitch made from recycled cups

Have you ever noticed how much rubbish is often left behind after a big sports event?

One drinks company has found an inventive way of recycling some of the waste produced.

This football pitch is made entirely from recycled plastic cups left behind by fans following the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Many of the 3.2 million plastic cups used during the recent FIFA World Cup were taken home by fans as souvenirs.

More than 50,000 cups were melted down and used to create the coating for this unique turf.

The pitch, in the tournament's host city Sochi, has been rather appropriately called the Budweiser ReCup Arena by brewing company ABInBev.

Local football fans will soon get to see how it holds up against a traditional surface, when the first ever match is played at the new sports facility.

It's certainly an interesting idea, but it's not the first time the football world has used recycled plastic to make something completely different.

In the 2019 World Cup the England's women's team, the Lionesses, will be playing in a kit made from recycled plastic bottles.

Manchester United, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have all played in kit made from recycled plastic too.

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club have also committed to phasing out single-use plastics at their new stadium, with no plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery or any plastic disposable packaging being used.