How to Successfully Plan an Event Waste Management Strategy

Festival season is officially upon us, so we thought that we would take this opportunity to share some of our event waste management wisdom ahead of some of the UK’s biggest summer bashes.

Planning

As with almost anything in the world of events, planning thoroughly and planning early is the key to success. You’re going to want to know how many people will be attending the festival, how many vendors there will be selling food and drinks, what sort of facilities there will be for campers and staff, and so on.

Understanding all of the above will help you build a rough picture of just how much waste will be generated throughout the course of the festival, which in turn will give you an idea of what kind and how many waste containers you will need, as well as how many staff.

Ticketed or open to the public?

One of the biggest factors that will influence how you create your waste management strategy for a festival is whether the event in question is ticketed or open to everyone. With a ticketed event, in theory, you will know exactly how many people will be attending, so you will be able to come up with a rigid plan. If the event is open to everyone, however, it’s much less easy to work out just how many people will turn up, so your plan will have to be a little more fluid and adaptable.

Offer biodegradable food and drink containers

In 2022, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be using biodegradable cups and food boxes, so make sure that you get this organised early. This is especially important since you can’t always rely on festival-goers to dispose of their waste properly.

Pair general waste and recycling bins together

If you want to get people to dispose of their waste in the right way, make it as easy for them as possible! That’s why you should always pair general waste bins and recycling bins together. You’d be surprised by how much waste ends up going in the wrong bin if you space them apart.

Put signs on your bins and make them visible

There’s a lot going on at a festival, and people aren’t always on their A game mentally, so you need to make sure that 1) bins are a very easy spot, and 2) easily identifiable as bins. That’s why you should always clearly label both general waste and recycling bins, and put them in high-traffic areas. But don’t put them in the middle of walkways where people might trip over them!

Work out waste collection schedules

You might find waste collection services can’t come regularly enough to keep up with the rate at which bins are being filled. This is OK, just make sure that you organise for the bins to be emptied and put to one side so that they can be collected when the trucks do come. This allows for the event to go on as usual without having to worry about overflow!

Brown Recycling is one of Stoke’s leading waste management companies, and having worked with V Festival in the past, it’s safe to say we know a thing or two about event waste management. Do you have an event coming up that you need help with? Give us a call and let’s chat about it!