How to promote the correct disposal of waste at your event

Event season is upon us once again. With thousands upon thousands of the British public all flocking to one single location over a day or weekend, we can expect to see masses of waste generated. 

Effective festival waste management is vital for any event to run smoothly, whether it be a music festival, outdoor concert, farm show or sporting occasion. Fostering a litter-free environment will pay dividends for your event, allowing guests to enjoy themselves without the distraction of unwanted sights and smells. 

So, which event waste management strategies should you implement to correctly dispose of waste at festivals? We share our top tips below…

Best practices for correct event waste disposal

When organising any event, you should first focus on creating a responsible event waste management plan. Your festival waste management plan should include details about the following:

Placement of bins

It’s vitally important to ensure that any event wheelie bins are visible and placed in convenient locations. Most attendees will not want to waste time hunting for bins. If they don’t find one quickly, they will be more likely to discard litter on the ground. All types of bins should be placed in a similar area to encourage recycling wherever possible.

It’s a good idea to position your wheelie bins in equal distances throughout the event space. For example, you may decide to place one within every 50 or 100 feet. You should always ensure that there are plenty of event wheelie bins near food stalls, toilets and exits/entrances, as requirements are greater in these areas. Don’t forget about areas outside the festival site too, such as car parks and surrounding roads.

Clear labelling of bins

Much more is required than just simply dotting event wheelie bins around your premises. You need to ensure that bins are clearly labelled and ideally colour-coded, so they can be easily identified. For example, you could use black for general waste, blue for food waste and green for recycling. That way, visitors know which litter to place into which bin, ensuring the correct disposal of waste.

It might also be worth fixing a list of permitted materials onto the event wheelie bins themselves. This will help educate those who are less experienced with recycling to make smarter choices.

Monitoring of waste levels

You’ll need to keep a close eye on the levels of litter in your bins throughout the duration of the event to ensure they don’t end up overflowing. You could hire dedicated event waste management staff members or volunteers to help monitor these spaces. They can then arrange waste removal for full bins and help correctly sort litter prior to collection.

If you don’t have the budget to hire additional staff members, you could consider investing in a waste bin level monitor. They can quickly notify you when bins need emptying, as well as identifying when the wrong type of litter has been placed into a bin. This will make the waste sorting process much easier.

Event waste collections

It’s all well and good to focus on the correct disposal of waste during your event, but don’t forget to organise your event waste collections, too. If your event is set to take place over one day then you can organise collections for the next day. However, you may need to organise regular collections during the event for weekend-long festivals.

Make sure all waste can be quickly picked up from a single collection point. Communicate with your event waste collection company and create a simple route with easy access, which passes every wheelie bin on the site. Organising a clear route in advance is likely to save you both time and money in the long run.

Eco-friendly strategies

Consider implementing eco-friendly strategies at your event to reduce waste that is non-recyclable. Banning single-use plastics and encouraging attendees to bring their own reusable cups or water bottles is a logical place to start. Make sure you offer plenty of water refill stations and water fountains to keep everyone hydrated.

You could encourage vendors to serve food in sustainable containers or packaging which can then be recycled. Cutlery is also a key consideration, with wooden knives and forks making for a more eco-friendly alternative. You should also aim to reduce paper usage and opt for digital event guides and posters wherever possible.

Why choose McCarthy Marland as your event waste management company?

McCarthy Marland offers a wide range of event waste management services including wheelie bin hire for events. We provide food, glass and recycling and recovery bins from 240 litres all the way up to 1100 litres to event organisers throughout the South-West. We even offer event wheelie bin covers and lockable lids if required. Contact us today to discuss your wheelie bin requirements for your upcoming event.