Top Festival Waste Management Tips

We’ve pulled together some important festival waste statistics to provide a good idea of how much waste festivals produce and the amount that’s disposed of improperly:

• UK music festivals produce 23,500 tonnes of waste every year – equivalent to the weight of 250 blue whales.
• It’s sadly estimated that 68% of waste created at UK festivals ends up in landfill, even though much of it could be recycled.
• 400 tonnes of food waste created at festivals end up in landfill, according to The Nationwide Caterers Association.
• Waste created by individuals every day at festivals has fallen – from 2.8kg per person per day in 2014 to 2kg in 2019, according to The Show Must Go On report.
• 250,000 tents are left behind at UK music festivals every year, according to The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF).
• Around 90% of tents left behind at festivals end up in a landfill site or an incinerator.
• Recycling rates for festival attendees are only around 30%, according to research by A Greener Festival.
• Glastonbury estimates that the festival generates around 2,000 tonnes of waste every year the festival is held.
• Major US festivals such as Coachella create about 100 tonnes of solid waste each day.
• Oya festival in Norway is one of the greenest – food and drink are served in 100% compostable packaging and more than 60% of waste generated is reused in new products.

Avoid adding to these statistics by using the following tips to manage your festival waste effectively.

Outline the types of waste you expect your festival will create to ensure the correct bins and containers are in place to separate them at the point of production. Identify those that are recyclable to help set up recycling stations across your festival. Depending on the expected volume you might use dry mixed recycling bins to combine recyclable rubbish.

Common types of festival waste you should provide individual bins for to separate and reduce the amount of rubbish going to landfill include:

• Festival food waste – vendors and consumers create food waste that needs storing separately so it’s sent for anaerobic digestion and to generate energy.
• Metal waste – aluminium drinks cans and empty food tins can be recycled so should be stored in separate bins or dry mixed recycling.
• Paper and cardboard – food packaging, drinks carriers, and receipts make up lots of paper and cardboard waste at festivals that should be recyclable.
• Glass waste – many festivals ban glass, but food vendors may still have empty glass jars for ingredients and drinks, which needs storing separately for recycling.
• Plastic recycling – drinks bottles, plastic cups, and food packaging should be recycled where possible. This can be in individual plastic bins or with dry mixed recycling.
• General waste – food scraps and non-recyclable rubbish like used tissues and wipes need to be disposed of in general waste bins.
• Sanitary waste – toilets and any bathroom facilities must have sanitary bins in place to safely store various types of offensive waste. This helps protect human health and the environment.

Make recycling and waste disposal as easy as possible for festival goers and vendors to manage rubbish effectively. Placing food waste, general waste, and mixed recycling bins close to food and drinks stalls makes sense, as it’s where plenty of rubbish is produced. Festivals with camping facilities should also ensure bins are near enough tents (but not too close!).

Any litter can easily be picked up by the wind and drift offsite, polluting local water, ground, and air – as well as affecting wildlife. The more bins you have, and the less work/walking required for people to dispose of rubbish, the reduced risk of waste negatively impacting the environment.

Also, consider access when choosing bin locations. They need to be placed somewhere that waste removal trucks can reach easily or with access to a clear path or road, so any wheelie bins can be moved down to the pickup point conveniently.

Secure bins, bags, and containers are essential to prevent waste from blowing out in the wind, getting wet from the rain, or experiencing any other damage. You also need to store all festival waste in sensible locations before collection. Placing them under a canopy and on solid ground can reduce any adverse weather effects.

You’ll need to place wheelie bins onsite for festivalgoers to use. However, it could be safer and more cost-efficient to have larger bins backstage that these are emptied into regularly. This reduces the amount of waste attendees are exposed to, means you can arrange less frequent collections, and the bins are likely to be opened and exposed less often.

Common bins to secure festival waste securely include:

• Wheelie bins – two- and four-wheel bins are used to separate recyclables and waste types. Each type has lids (some are lockable) and can be easily wheeled around to empty into larger bins or move to collection points.
• Front and rear-end loaders – these are large bins that can hold up to 160 bags of waste. They’re static, so can’t be moved, but if you have space and access are a good option to combine waste in one place to reduce collections.
• Commercial waste bags – another easy way to separate festival waste and recycling types is with commercial waste bags. These may be used inside your festival bins or on their own for everything from general waste to mixed recycling.

Hopefully, you now have a better idea of how to manage your festival waste effectively. For further expert help and advice about festival waste management – and a free no obligation quote – speak to one of our team. Call 0800 211 8390 or contact us online today or find out more about event waste management.