Festivals are synonymous with sharing and music, but they also generate a considerable amount of waste. Faced with the urgent need to protect the environment, more and more organisers are seeking to limit their environmental impact, in particular by putting in place effective selective sorting and recycling solutions. Over and above the ecological commitment, optimising waste management at an event also helps to reinforce the festival’s positive image and raise awareness among participants of more sustainable practices.
To succeed in this approach, it’s not enough simply to install a few sorting bins: a real upstream strategy is needed, from analysing the types of waste to involving partners and staff.
In this article, we’ll take you through the key stages in making recycling an integral part of your event, giving you practical advice on anticipating needs, raising awareness among your staff and festival-goers, adapting your infrastructure and evaluating the results to ensure a lasting impact.
Summary
1. Optimising waste recycling at festivals: why implement selective sorting?
Implementing selective sorting at a festival meets ecological, economic and organisational challenges. The feasibility of this approach depends on a number of factors, but with the right preparation, it can be a natural part of the event’s logistics.
Ecological issues :
- Reducing the carbon footprint: by recycling waste, we reduce the impact of emissions linked to its incineration or landfill.
- Preservation of natural resources: recycling allows materials such as plastic, glass or paper to be reused, thus avoiding the extraction of new raw materials.
- Protecting local ecosystems: by limiting the amount of waste left on site, we protect the surrounding flora and fauna.
Economic issues :
- Human costs: waste management at festivals often requires dedicated teams or an external service provider. Anticipating this waste optimisation approach during a festival will save you time and money.
- The cost of poor management: poor waste management at your event can lead to direct costs for your organisation, particularly in the case of illegal dumping, which can result in fines of up to €150,000.
Organisational issues :
- Improved site logistics: with well thought-out sorting, waste flows are better managed, reducing the risk of overflow or nuisance for festival-goers and local residents.
- Easier post-event clean-up: well-distributed sorting bins mean that clean-up is quicker and more efficient once the festival is over, so you don’t have to dedicate a team to it when it’s time to take stock.
- Enhancing the event’s image: a festival that takes ecology into account sends out a positive image to festival-goers, partners and the media. By taking care of your waste management, you can create a high-value communication channel for your event’s stakeholders.
The environmental impact of festivals:
Festivals are cultural events that attract millions of festival-goers in France and Europe. However, they also generate significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, notably due to the mobility of participants, electricity consumption and waste production. The environmental impact of festivals is therefore an important issue for organisers and participants to consider. Festivals can have a positive environmental impact by promoting sustainable practices, such as reducing waste, using renewable resources and promoting eco-friendly mobility.
The benefits of waste separation:
Selective sorting is an essential practice for reducing the environmental impact of festivals. The advantages of selective sorting are numerous: it reduces the production of greenhouse gases, conserves natural resources and protects the environment. Festivals that set up selective sorting systems can also raise festival-goers’ awareness of the importance of waste management and promote sustainable practices.
2. Preparing the ground for recycling
For a festival to become a model of waste management, upstream preparation is crucial. This stage enables the collection, sorting and recycling of waste generated during the event to be structured efficiently. Accurate analysis, appropriate equipment and the involvement of partners are the keys to success.
Analyse the types of waste generated
Every festival is unique, as are the types of waste it produces. Before installing sorting bins, it is essential to identify precisely the waste that will be generated. How can you do this? It’s simple: look at the foodstuffs and their packaging sold on site, as well as all the items available for self-service or not, then apply the same approach to your partners.
- Food packaging: plastic, cardboard, biodegradable or compostable trays.
- Cups: recyclable plastic or reusable (ecocup type).
- Paper and cardboard: leaflets, posters, various types of packaging.
- Various plastics: bottles, plastic film, cutlery, straws, ear plugs.
- Textiles: merchandising and promotional clothing.
- Organic waste: food scraps, ideally composted.
Assessing equipment requirements
Once the waste has been identified, the collection system needs to be sized:
- Dumpsters and sorting containers: adapt capacity to anticipated volumes, avoiding overflow.
- Selective sorting bins: use separate colour-coded bins for each type of waste (paper, plastic, glass, organic).
- Clear signage: put up explanatory signs at collection points with simple visuals and pictograms that can be understood by everyone, even non-French speakers.
- Accessibility: position collection points in strategic locations that are visible and easily accessible to everyone.
Involving partners
A festival cannot manage its waste on its own. Involving partners can provide valuable expertise:
- Waste management service providers: they can supply equipment, ensure collection, and even offer innovative solutions such as composting, cup deposits and training.
- Local authorities: by working with the town or community of communes, you can gain access to waste treatment facilities.
- Specialist associations: some local or national associations offer volunteers trained in raising awareness of waste sorting, running educational stands or managing specific types of waste (such as cigarette butts or food waste).
Anticipating regulations:
Environmental regulations are changing rapidly, and festivals need to anticipate these requirements in order to comply with regulations and avoid potential penalties. Festival organisers therefore need to be aware of the latest regulations and take steps to comply with them. This can include setting up selective sorting systems, reducing electricity consumption and promoting eco-friendly mobility. By anticipating regulations, festivals can also demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and pave the way for new funding opportunities.
3. Raising awareness: a key issue for waste management
The success of a festival recycling policy depends to a large extent on raising awareness among the public, staff and partners. By clearly communicating the objectives and best practices, it is possible to actively encourage selective sorting and maximise the recycling rate of waste generated during the event.
Communicate ahead of the event
- Website and social networks: publish informative content on waste sorting, with educational videos or infographics illustrating good practice.
- Ticketing: take advantage of ticket purchases to include awareness-raising messages or reminders about the importance of recycling. A module for personalising your ticket is available on WeezTicket.
- Preparation e-mails: send practical instructions to festival-goers, for example on the reusable items to be favoured (water bottles, cloth bags, reusable cutlery), including information on public transport options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Setting up on-site information points
Once on site, it is essential to regularly remind participants and your staff of good practice:
- Trained volunteers: with WeezCrew, you can communicate simply and effectively with your volunteers about waste flow management during your event. Adapt their tasks and assignments in real time according to your needs at collection and sorting points.
- Educational stands: set up areas dedicated to raising awareness, with fun activities, games or quizzes on recycling. The We Love Green festival in Paris is an example of successful awareness-raising, with sorting facilities and concrete actions to raise public awareness of environmental issues.
- On-stage activities: take advantage of downtime or transitions to spread ecological messages.
Raising awareness among your staff with WeezCrew
On-site teams play a fundamental role in ensuring that sorting instructions are properly applied:
- Upstream training: use WeezCrew to communicate and provide targeted reminders about waste management, with videos and practical information sheets.
- Encourage exemplary behaviour: turn staff members into recycling ambassadors, promoting their initiatives and motivating them to set an example for festival-goers.
Use clear visual tools
To avoid any confusion, signage must be designed to be educational and accessible:
- Explanatory signs: put up posters at collection points to clearly indicate which waste goes in which bin.
- Universal pictograms: use visuals that can be easily understood by everyone, especially foreign festival-goers.
Distinct colour codes: associate each type of waste (plastic, paper, organic) with a specific colour, and harmonise this graphic charter throughout the festival site.
4. Adapting infrastructures to facilitate recycling
To optimise waste management during a festival, it is essential to adapt the infrastructure. A good collection and sorting system not only makes things easier for festival-goers, but also improves the efficiency of selective sorting by avoiding recycling errors and overflowing bins.
Install well-spaced collection points
Strategically locating skips and bins around the festival site helps to streamline waste management:
- Optimum accessibility: place collection points at the busiest locations (entrances, exits, catering areas, stage areas).
- Sufficient density: increase the number of sorting bins to avoid festival-goers having to travel long distances to dispose of their waste.
- Anticipate peak crowds: increase the number of skips in areas of high consumption (bars, food trucks) to limit overflow.
Use appropriate selective sorting containers
The choice of containers and their adaptation to the specific characteristics of the festival are essential:
- Variable capacities: adapt the size of the containers to the type and quantity of waste generated by each area.
- Modular bins: opt for modular bins that allow several types of waste to be sorted at a single collection point (paper, plastic, glass, organic).
Enhanced accessibility: ensure that bins are visible, clearly identified and accessible to everyone, including people with reduced mobility.
Digital tools for selective sorting:
Digital tools can be very useful in promoting selective sorting and reducing the environmental impact of festivals. Mobile applications and online platforms can help festival-goers identify sorting points and understand sorting rules. Digital tools can also enable festival organisers to track waste and measure the environmental impact of their event.
5. Monitoring and promoting waste management
Once the festival is over, it is essential to draw on the experience to measure the effectiveness of the actions taken and identify areas for improvement. By analysing the results, collecting feedback and drawing up a continuous improvement plan, it is possible to maintain an eco-responsible approach and reinforce the positive impact of the event.
Analysing post-event results
To assess the success of recycling initiatives, it is necessary to analyse the data collected:
- Effective sorting rate: compare the quantity of recyclable waste actually sorted with the total quantity of waste produced.
- Effectiveness of infrastructure: assess whether collection points were well distributed, whether bins were appropriate in size and number, and whether overflow was observed.
Collect feedback
The opinions of the various festival stakeholders are invaluable in fine-tuning the waste management strategy:
- Festival-goers: collect testimonials or propose a satisfaction questionnaire including questions about ease of access to the sorting bins and the clarity of the signage.
- Volunteers and staff: use WeezCrew to send out forms and centralise feedback from the teams responsible for awareness-raising and waste management. This feedback can highlight areas for logistical or organisational improvement.
- Waste management service providers: analyse their reports on the quality of sorting carried out and their recommendations for optimising collection during future editions.
Implement a continuous improvement plan
An action plan can be drawn up to perpetuate good practice and take waste management further:
- Capitalise on successes: repeat initiatives that have worked well, such as educational events or reward systems for good sorters.
- Correct weak points: identify the obstacles encountered (poor distribution of bins, unclear signage) and plan practical solutions to overcome them.
Innovate for future events: try out new ideas, such as using more advanced sorting technologies or introducing new instructions (for example, collection points for cigarette butts or food waste for composting).
WeezCrew offers you high-performance, intuitive digital solutions to optimise the management of your volunteers, particularly when it comes to waste at festivals, WeezCrew offers to simplify the organisation of your events. Save time with tools dedicated to planning missions, tracking accreditations and communicating seamlessly with your teams.
