# At sporting events, concerts etc. do you throw out all your trash or... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 15, 2017, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653 "2017-05-15T15:27:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653/41 "2017-05-16T17:43:12Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I’m not talking about movie theaters. I’m talking about outdoor stadiums that have been set up to be swept out and hosed down after an event, and there is staff to do it. Depending on your path out of the stadium there may not be any trashcans or they may be overflowing. If I ate some food in the concession area there would be trash cans there and I’d use them, but there are seating areas where it is customary to leave behind the trash and I don’t see anything wrong with it. It’s not a movie theater where people will be piling in for the next showing, it’s not a park, it’s an area designed for that kind of cleanup. And the venue doesn’t care, they encourage it because they don’t want you to hesitate to buy food at the stands because it may be difficult to clean up. When exactly is it “customary” to leave trash? I’m saying that it isn’t customary and that a patron should remove the trash. It is the courteous thing to do and it contributes to maintaining the cleanliness of the venue. Do you think it’s a BETTER option to leave a half-filled paper cup under the seat to be hosed away by the staff? Do you believe that popcorn is best removed when it’s been blown by wind around the stadium? The right thing is to remove your trash and dispose of it in the proper receptacles. This is ALWAYS the right thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653/42 "2017-05-16T18:04:26Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > When exactly is it “customary” to leave trash? I’m saying that it isn’t customary and that a patron should remove the trash. It is the courteous thing to do and it contributes to maintaining the cleanliness of the venue. Do you think it’s a BETTER option to leave a half-filled paper cup under the seat to be hosed away by the staff? Do you believe that popcorn is best removed when it’s been blown by wind around the stadium? The right thing is to remove your trash and dispose of it in the proper receptacles. This is ALWAYS the right thing to do. So you bus your own table at a restaurant then? ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653/43 "2017-05-16T18:19:38Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > So you bus your own table at a restaurant then? As was written above, that’s not really an accurate analogy. A better one would be do you leave your tray and garbage on the table when you leave a McDonald’s? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653/44 "2017-05-16T18:25:25Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > So you bus your own table at a restaurant then? As much as I can. If I spill something I wipe it up and I try to pile my napkin, utensils, etc. onto my plate to make it quicker to pick up. If there was an option to drop off my dishes at a place where a dishwasher could later clean them I’d do that. It’s no different than tossing my trash and putting my tray in the proper spot at a fast food place. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653/45 "2017-05-16T18:28:38Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > As was written above, that’s not really an accurate analogy. A better one would be do you leave your tray and garbage on the table when you leave a McDonald’s? No, that’s not very good. The restaurant isn’t closing after you eat. When you do that at McDonalds you’re being inconsiderate to someone who may need the table right after you. I’ll even use a napkin to wipe down the table at McDonalds if it’s gotten quite messy. The 'Thank You’s at McDonalds are also located nearby the tables. If they wanted me to go outside to dump my trash I probably wouldn’t eat there. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653/46 "2017-05-16T19:07:25Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > So you bus your own table at a restaurant then? Not at a full-service restaurant. Another example…I know that the state pays people to clean the rest areas along the interstate, but that doesn’t mean that it is customary to throw trash and wrappers around when I’m there. Maybe I’m dense, but I just don’t see how someone who attends a public event (sports, concert, parade, or whatever) thinks that it is perfectly OK to leave trash around because SOMEONE will get paid later to pick it up. I’ve worked venues and been part of a team of 15+ people who had to clean up after events. It can be a four-hour job or it can be an eight-hour job. If everyone simply took their trash out with them and disposed of it properly, it would be a one-hour job. Several comments were made after the Women’s March in DC about how clean and orderly the streets were after the event. Kudos! ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653/47 "2017-05-16T20:45:23Z")
I give a hoot. I don’t pollute. I’ll never be a [dirty bird.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co0Vh1C9NfY) ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653/48 "2017-05-16T22:20:34Z")
At movie theaters, I contain my trash and dump it myself. If some popcorn falls on the floor, I leave it where it lies. (One time we dropped fully half a large popcorn, which was annoying. I told a member of the cleaning staff, and apologized). ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653/49 "2017-05-17T01:31:55Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > At movie theaters, I contain my trash and dump it myself. If some popcorn falls on the floor, I leave it where it lies. (One time we dropped fully half a large popcorn, which was annoying. I told a member of the cleaning staff, and apologized). This for me at stadiums. I don’t do movies. peanut shells often end up on the floor. As well as couple percent of the popcorn. But anthing big enough or neat enough to pick up is picked up & dumped in the nearby trash cans. I’m old enough that I can remember when stadiums didn’t place trash & recycling bins out near the seats. So on the way out afterwards it’d be impractical to carry all your stuff away from the exits towards the now-closed concession area to dump it. Nowadays trash cans and recycling bins are everywhere. Use 'em. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653/50 "2017-05-17T02:39:44Z")
I trash it. And if I’m somewhere like a public field/fireman’s game and there isn’t a can handy, I take it home and properly dispose of it. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653/51 "2017-05-17T15:11:58Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > So you bus your own table at a restaurant then? At a full-service restaurant, I “pre-bus” my table. I’ll collect all the plates and stack them, and place the silverware in empty drink glasses. My wife taught me this (based on her experience as a server years ago), and we’ve taught our boys to do it as well. It makes things easier for the servers and/or busboys. But since I have no way of actually putting the plates into the dishwasher, that’s all I do. Any other venue, if I’ve generated trash as a result of my attendance, I take it out when I leave. In my view, that’s just common courtesy. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653/52 "2017-05-17T15:37:52Z")
> [@Sauron](#): > > At a full-service restaurant, I “pre-bus” my table. I’ll collect all the plates and stack them, and place the silverware in empty drink glasses. My wife taught me this (based on her experience as a server years ago), and we’ve taught our boys to do it as well. It makes things easier for the servers and/or busboys. But since I have no way of actually putting the plates into the dishwasher, that’s all I do. > > Any other venue, if I’ve generated trash as a result of my attendance, I take it out when I leave. In my view, that’s just common courtesy. That’s nice of you. But also largely useless in the case of restaurant which simply folds up every thing on the table in the top layer table cloth and hauls it away. The same situation occurs at some stadiums, the seating area is going to be swept out and hosed down after the event. Courtesy is fine, but let’s not pretend there’s any real benefit to these actions in every circumstance. I’m not going to strew trash around, dump drinks and food on the floor. I’m leaving cups in the cup holder and bags and boxes on the floor when it is the custom. If the stadiums provided trash cans at convenient places instead of trying to cram as many seats as possible into the space I’d take care of it myself. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653/53 "2017-05-17T15:49:51Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > That’s nice of you. But also largely useless in the case of restaurant which simply folds up every thing on the table in the top layer table cloth and hauls it away. I can’t say I’ve made an intense study of full-service restaurant table-bussing procedures, but I can’t remember ever seeing this type of cleanup. Wouldn’t it result in a lot of broken plates and glasses? Maybe I don’t eat at enough high-end establishments. > [@](#): > > The same situation occurs at some stadiums, the seating area is going to be swept out and hosed down after the event … I’m leaving cups in the cup holder and bags and boxes on the floor when it is the custom. I don’t attend a ton of sporting events, so maybe this is the norm and I don’t know it. Regardless, I believe if I created trash, it’s my responsibility to clean it up. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653/54 "2017-05-17T16:25:58Z")
> [@Sauron](#): > > I can’t say I’ve made an intense study of full-service restaurant table-bussing procedures, but I can’t remember ever seeing this type of cleanup. Wouldn’t it result in a lot of broken plates and glasses? > > Maybe I don’t eat at enough high-end establishments. They will remove the glassware first. The dishes are sturdy enough, you should see what happens to them in the back 🙂 > [@](#): > > I don’t attend a ton of sporting events, so maybe this is the norm and I don’t know it. Regardless, I believe if I created trash, it’s my responsibility to clean it up. I don’t know if it’s the norm everywhere, it is the norm at some places. Your philosophy is fine, better to clean up yourself if there’s any doubt. Like so many things it doesn’t need to be applied in every situation but I don’t think you’re harming anyone by doing it even if unnecessary. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653/55 "2017-05-17T16:35:19Z")
> [@Iggins](#): > > I was at a movie last week where normal food and beer can be served (Cinetopia in Beaverton, OR). Walking out, I was (again) surprised at the messes left behind. Spilled dishes, smashed food on the floor, knocked over beverages, and wrappers everywhere. Cinetopia specifically encourages people to leave things at their seat, presumably to limit the amount of reusable items being thrown out, but these people could at least keep their messes contained in the carriers provided, not strewn around everywhere… So in a dark, unfamiliar place you’re surprised that people drop stuff & then can’t see to pick it up? I’ll take my popcorn/candy/cup & pitch it in the big trashcan right by the exit but anything that fell; that’s their job to clean up when the lights are on. > [@Filbert](#): > > I worked security in a few sports grounds- it was pretty common for the match stewards to have to help clear up, which is likewise not their job. And putting stuff under your seat definitely makes it harder and more awkward. It was actually simplest when everyone threw it in a heap in the end of the row, or by the front barriers, which a lot of people did. > > There were no trash bins, for security reasons, so I could understand people leaving stuff in a heap rather than take a sticky part eaten burger with them out of the grounds and half a mile down the street to the nearest bin, but I never did get why people feel the need to hide their rubbish under seats, or even wedged into the seats. If you’re gonna leave stuff, make it obvious, or people that are checking 300 seats are likely to miss it. I think that’s a case of putting the trash out of the way when you eat something early in the game/match/contest & then either forgetting about it an hour or more later or not wanting to lug a mustard/ketchup dripping mess Og knows how far, thru heavy crowds (& people bumping) because you don’t know where the nearest non-overflowing trash can is. I think it’s less rude to leave it at my seat then throw it on the ground at the overflowing trash can. The latter feels more like actively littering to me, just like I don’t leave my tray & trash in the general vicinity of the trash can at McDonald’s What I don’t like is outdoor events that have concessions but no trash cans (Unless they’re right next to the concession) for security reasons. If I need to stand to eat, I may as well walk at the same time. Thanks, Tsarnaev’s. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653/56 "2017-05-17T18:21:47Z")
FWIW I’ve always been told not to stack my stuff because many restaurants would rather organize the way they want to when they clear it. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653/57 "2017-05-17T19:12:56Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > FWIW I’ve always been told not to stack my stuff because many restaurants would rather organize the way they want to when they clear it. Hmm. Interesting. I’ve never seen any particular order used, other than plates in one grouping, glasses in another, and silverware in a third. Most of the places I eat don’t even segment to that level when clearing the table; they just take it all at once, or the busboy dumps everything into a plastic bin. I tend to frequent the same 10 to 12 restaurants, and the waitstaffs have always thanked me / us for pre-bussing the table. ---
**Author:** ![Annoying\_Buzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Annoying\_Buzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annoying_Buzz)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653/58 "2017-05-18T01:54:32Z")
At the Brazil World Cup, the fact that the Japanese fans were picking up all their trash made the news in a number of countries. [Japanese fans pick up trash after World Cup match](https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/japanese-fans-pick-trash-after-game-2014-fifa-world-cup) [World Cup 2014: Japanese fans clean stadium after losing 2-1 to Ivory Coast | The Independent | The Independent](http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/world-cup-2014-japanese-fans-clean-stadium-after-losing-2-1-against-ivory-coast-9539793.html) Here, the reaction was more “why do other countries think this is weird?” It’s just what you do. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653/59 "2017-05-18T03:39:15Z")
I"m not going to leave trash behind to perhaps get picked up by the wind instead of the paid cleanup staff. Or trod into the carpet or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653/60 "2017-05-18T11:58:11Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > So is the argument that the trash cans aren’t conveniently placed in theaters or sports venues. :dubious: The concession stand wasn’t conveniently located to you either; but you managed to make that trip to get the soon-to-be-garbage didn’t you? Maybe- or maybe I got the soon-to-be garbage from a vendor without getting up from my seat. But it’s not exactly that the trash is not located conveniently - it’s more of a combination of the inconvenience and memory and the fact that the stadium apparently doesn’t care if you leave the trash by your seat. ``` I am going to a baseball game Friday. It starts at 7 pm, so I will not have had dinner before the game and will probably get something to eat at the game. Let's say I leave in the second inning to get food. I bring it back to my seat because for whatever reason, I can't use the tables* in the concession area. I now have to juggle my food and take my ticket back out to show the usher to get back to my seat - this is necessary *every time* I return to my seat. When I'm done, I put the trash under my seat , because I don't want to go through all of that just to throw out garbage and there is no where else to put it. But by the time I leave hours later, I may have forgotten about the trash and since it's under the seat, I don't get a visual reminder. ``` And the reason I say the stadium apparently doesn’t care is because they could have people roaming the stands with trash bags, just like people walk through the stands selling beer and hotdogs and flight attendants go down the aisle of the plane collecting trash. Or they could eliminate seat or two in each section , to make room for a trash can. Or put trash cans near the entrance to each section and stop worrying so much about people “upgrading” by sitting in unused seats in a better sections so that I can throw the trash out without walking a half mile and worrying about about whether I have my ticket on me. (That’s the reason for the ticket check upon each return. And the relatively new policy of moving ushers and security around from game to game means that I will never be recognized as belonging in my section without showing a ticket). - Maybe there are none available- or maybe there are only high stand-up tables, which five foot me can’t really use [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-sporting-events-concerts-etc-do-you-throw-out-all-your-trash-or/786653.md?page=4)