Rubbish is ugly, fills up landfill, hurts and kills wildlife, and contributes to global warming.
PARTY WITH THE PLANET
Over 50% of waste from multi-day events comes from audience campsites. An alliance of major festivals, artists, NFPs and social enterprises have come together, under the leadership of Green Music Australia, to tackle this enormous problem. To find out more, visit www.partywiththeplanet.org
REDUCE, THEN REUSE
The best way to deal with waste is to avoid it in the first place by switching to reusables. In almost all cases, reusable products outperform throwaway plastic AND compostable items. While reusable products have a larger upfront carbon footprint – due to being more robust – they only need to be used a few times before reaching a ‘break-even’ point, beyond which they are carbon positive. For this reason we encourage using generic products that can be readily shared. The key to running a successful reusable program is to work alongside an experienced supplier who can help with planning and wash and redistribution logistics. Our favourite providers are Bettercup, Reuse Revolution, and Be-Alternative.
Want more facts and figures? Check out this Throw-away vs Reusable life-cycle analysis, or our own Bettercup Comparison Report.
BYO BOTTLE
The BYOBottle Campaign engages artists, venues, festivals and fans to reduce plastic waste in the music industry by promoting reusable water bottles and water refill stations at music events. Make the commitment to BYOBottle and join the campaign. Together we can show that the music industry is committed to reducing plastic pollution! For more information, visit https://byobottle.org/
What you can do:
Provide accessible and clean taps, or jugs or refilling stations, at bars and backstage, and use fun and creative signage to encourage punters and artists to use them.
Recoup costs by charging for premium products, such as filtered, chilled or flavoured water.
Use reusable hard plastic cups instead of single-use, throw away cups. For venues Provide venue-branded reusable bottles for use on stage, or even better, hire our Green Music bottles
RECYCLE
Since China stopped taking our commingled waste in 2018, much of Australia’s recycling has gone directly to landfill. To address these new challenges, speak with your local council or waste management contractor about what they’re able to recycle. Decreasing contamination is critical, and best results are typically achieved by separating glass, plastic, paper and aluminium. Ensure bins are consistently provided across the venue or site. Recycling bins should be well marked (fun and creative signage options can help increase usage), and staff trained and required to use them properly.
Want to dig deeper? Check out:
