The Taranaki Arts Festival Trust (TAFT), with support from a number of organisations and volunteers, put in place a comprehensive waste minimisation system at the three-day WOMAD 2008 festival held in March, at New Plymouth.
At the 2009 event this system was bedded in. In 2010, the third year of Towards Zero Waste, the system was expected to be fully integrated into site management. There will still be some issues to resolve, but these are considered to be minor.
WOMAD attracts over 10,000 people a day and with its 3 stages, 40 food stalls and 50 retail stalls on the 55 acre site, implementing the Towards Zero Waste programme in 2008 was a huge undertaking.
In 2008, 73% of the 14.9 tonnes of discarded material that left the site was diverted from landfill to composting or recycling. Financial support was provided from the MFE Sustainable Management Fund for the set up of the system in 2008.
In 2009, 80% of the 16.8 tonnes of discarded material was diverted to composting or recycling, within a budget comparable with normal waste management costs.
More than a year before the 2008 event TAFT made a commitment to reducing waste and a working group with a wide range of contacts was formed to develop the system and access resources. In 2009, one person, employed by TAFT, was able to manage the Zero Waste system from start to finish.
The success of the project depended on TAFT being fully committed at the outset and represented on the working group for 2008 along with the technical manager for the site.
The underlying principle for the system is: Control the inputs, manage the outputs. The planning covered the high level of assistance needed for the public and stallholders to use the system, replacing the bags when full, managing the full bags, and final sorting of material leaving the site.
All food and drink containers and cutlery on the site had to be biodegradable, with two exceptions: the bars used Type 6 plastic drink cups, and coffee cup lids were specified to also be Type 6 as no biodegradable ones were available, and the working party had to ensure these were available from suppliers. Stallholders were contractually bound to use biodegradable items (and Type 6 items where applicable).
The Type 6 cups and coffee cup lids were sorted out of the recyclable stream in 2008 to be recycled separately as they could not be managed by the local recycling company. In 2009, these were unable to be recycled, so had to be landfilled (this had been unclear at the outset).
In 2008, 40 volunteers staffed the system and were critical in educating the public and encouraging them to sort their waste into biodegradable, recycling and residual rubbish streams at the seven recycling stations around the venue. They also sorted out any cross contamination, assisted stallholders and backstage areas to use the system, and took the rubbish, recyclables and compostables away for further sorting by two paid staff. Changes to the roster for 2009 resulted in only 35 volunteers being needed.
There was also a team of volunteer litter pickers, who were asked to keep the 3 types of materials separate as they went. Site set up and pack down was assisted by PD workers.
In 2008, six members of the working group supervised the volunteers, the litter pickers and the site setup before and after the event. This function was undertaken by one (paid) manager in 2009.
The educational benefit to the public and volunteers is hard to quantify but feedback suggests that the opportunity to use such an accessible waste minimisation system added to many people's positive experience of WOMAD.
Patrons commented in 2008 that this was the cleanest public event that they had attended. By setting such a high standard for waste minimisation WOMAD has raised public expectations for the management of other public events.
Results
The 2008 diversion rate of 72.6% of the total of 14.9 tonnes of discarded materials comprised:
- 17.3% cardboard (2.6 tonnes)
- 20.9% glass (3.1 tonnes)
- 9.5% comingled recyclables (1.4 tonnes)
- 4.0% Type 6 plastics (0.6 tonnes)
- 20.9% biodegradables (3.1 tonnes)
Further details, including volume, are provided in the table below. (Volume is given as a guide to what size skips might be needed for other events.)
Summary of 2008 results, by weight and volume
|
Product Type |
Weight (kg) |
Volume |
% of total excluding unsorted waste |
% of total including unsorted waste |
|
Cardboard |
2,580 |
45 |
20.2% |
17.3% |
|
Glass |
3,110 |
3 crushed |
24.3% |
20.9% |
|
Sorted at Recycling Centre |
||||
|
Grade 6 plastics |
600 |
6 |
4.7% |
4.0% |
|
Co-mingled recyclables |
1,410 |
15 |
11.0% |
9.5% |
|
Biodegradables |
3,120 |
30 |
24.4% |
20.9% |
|
Waste to landfill (sorted) |
1,960 |
15 |
15.3% |
13.1% |
|
Subtotal of material sorted at recycling Centre, cardboard and glass |
12,780 |
114 |
100% |
|
|
Waste to landfill (unsorted) |
2,130 |
18 |
|
14.3% |
|
Total |
14,910 |
132 |
|
100.0% |
|
Total recycled or composted |
10,820 |
|
84.7% |
72.6% |
|
Waste to landfill (sorted) |
1,960 |
|
15.3% |
|
|
Total waste to landfill (sorted and unsorted) |
4,090 |
|
|
27.4% |
Notes to table: Sorting on site by the two paid staff was intended only for the biodegradable and recyclable streams. In the event rubbish bags were also sorted. This contributed to the lack of time to complete the sorting, hence 2.13 tonnes of material went to landfill unsorted (a mixture of rubbish, recyclable and biodegradable bags). Column 3 excludes this unsorted material; Column 4 includes it, and these are the figures used for reporting. This problem was avoided in 2009 by the use of black bags for the rubbish, and clear bags for the other 2 streams.
Excluding the unsorted bags, the 2008 recovery rate was 84.7% (10.82 t from a total of 12.78 t). This exceeds the anticipated (target) recovery rate of 61.8% (based on other similar events for which information was available). Assuming no rubbish bags had been sorted and all recyclable and biodegradable material generated on site had been sorted, the recovery rate is expected to be somewhere between the two sets of percentages given in the table, i.e. 72.6% and 84.7%, and in fact the result in 2009 did fall in this range, at 80%.
In 2009 the diversion rate of 80% of the total of 16.78 tonnes comprised:
- 28.4% cardboard (4.77 tonnes)
- 28.4% glass (4.77 tonnes)
- 8.7% comingled recyclables (1.46 tonnes)
- 14.5% biodegradables (2.43 tonnes)
The improved diversion was despite the contamination of the organic stream on Friday night with plastic beer cups, general rubbish in one of the glass recycling bins, and the inability to recycle the plastic beer cups.
Notes on Biodegradable and Recyclable Streams
Biodegradables
- Items placed in these bags and bins were: Food waste, biodegradable plates and cutlery, soiled paper.
- Newspaper and other non-soiled paper were also added to this stream as these would have become contaminated if included with the co-mingled recyclables (and in all likelihood would have then been landfilled).
- The material was sent to a local composting company.
- The company accepting the biodegradables, Perry Environmental, now Remediation NZ, was very happy with the materials received in 2008, and no issues were reported for 2009.
Recyclables
- Cardboard: 9m skips were placed behind the food stalls for this. These need to be labeled as soon as set out, otherwise stallholders will put rubbish in them.
- Co-mingled recyclables and cardboard were sent to the local recycling company.
- 2008: Glass was collected separately in 240L MGBs behind the bars, and was crushed on site. Waste Management planned to use the crushed glass themselves.
- 2009: Glass was again collected separately in 240L MGBs. Full MGBs were emptied into 9m skips placed behind the bars, and taken by Waste Management who planned to crush it. Sorting into colours was intended but proved not to be feasible.
- In 2008, Type 6 plastic beer and wine cups and coffee cups lids were separated out of the co-mingled stream at the Recycle Centre, baled by one of the working group and sent to a recycler.
- Taranaki Recyclers received the co-mingled recyclables and in 2008 commented that they were 'brilliant'. No issues were reported in 2009.
Guidelines
(Click on each for more information)
- High-level buy in and integration of Towards Zero Waste principles with all aspects of the event.
- Friendly volunteers, actively interacting with the public and stallholders.
- Litter pickers work with the same materials streams as the Towards Zero Waste system.
- Control the types of materials coming on to the site that will be disposed of so that as much as possible is recyclable and compostable.
- Final sort of the recyclable and biodegradable streams.
- Active management of cardboard and glass skips and bins during the event.
- Ability to safely and tidily store rubbish bags during busy periods.
- Manage the material flows at the 'back end'.
- Simple signage on bins and around the site.
- Remove or cover existing Park bins.
- Include back of house areas (food stalls, stage areas etc) in the planning.
- Make contingencies for bad weather.
- Keep the onsite profile of waste management high.
- Make provision for site set up and pack down.
1. High-level buy in and integration of Towards Zero Waste principles with all aspects of the event.
- Without management on board waste efforts are less likely to be successful.
- All managers should be aware of what is happening, so sections of the event are not isolated from waste issues.
- Decisions will get changed. If there is not regular contact between event management and Towards Zero Waste managers, misunderstandings can happen.
- Ideally, the true cost of waste disposal, recycling and composting needs to be taken into account when establishing a Zero Waste budget.
2. Friendly volunteers, actively interacting with the public and stallholders.
- Volunteers are used to staff the recycling stations and bins behind food tents and collect full bags from around the site.
- An additional 2 volunteers each shift to act as 'assistant' managers is recommended. Given the size of the site, and the demands on the manager, this would allow greater ability to observe and improve the running of the site including volunteer coordination.
- These people need to understand the issues as they will need to make independent decisions at times.
- Volunteers need to be easily identified, e.g. give them an event t-shirt. This will also help them feel part of a team.
- Training:
- Ideally, train volunteers in actively interacting with the public before the event starts. Given that many are from out of the region, this can be difficult.
- To overcome this problem, at least partly, recruit from within the region using local groups likely to be a source of passionate helpers such as Environment Centres.
- Also provide on-the-job training. Some people will tend to hold back, and a little encouragement and demonstration of proactive interaction will go a long way. This will be greatly helped if locals have been trained ahead of time. Some of these can then be used to train others on the job (e.g. by taking one person off a 2-person team for a period).
- Having plenty of volunteers may cause issues with coordination, but will be worth it in the long run, especially if people don't show up.
- Volunteers also have a valuable role if time allows in quality control before bags or bins are collected and taken to the consolidation area. Provide gloves for this.
- Volunteers' work is intense, so shifts should be no longer than 4.5 hours. 4 hour shifts were used in 2009 and this seemed ideal.
- Rosters need to be aligned with the hours of the event to ensure there is coverage for the whole event, as a few empty hours can undo a lot of good work.
3. Litter pickers work with the same materials streams as the Recycling Stations
- If possible, in groups of three, each collecting a different type of material (recyclable, biodegradable or rubbish).
- Co-ordination between the Towards Zero Waste Manager and the Litter Pickers Manager is necessary.
4. Control the types of materials coming on to the site that will be disposed of so that as much as possible is recyclable and compostable, particularly items used by food stalls, bars and caterers (i.e. food and drink packaging and eating implements).
- Decisions need to be made in sufficient time for stall holders to purchase the appropriate items, and sometimes, e.g. beer cups used by the bars, stall holders are provided with these by alcohol companies, so liaison might be needed with all parties.
- Work closely with packaging suppliers like Huhtamaki as they have a lot of knowledge about their products; involve them in the organisation early.
- Drinking cups (the clear ones for beer and wine) seem to be a particular issue. They are available in Type 2 and Type 6 plastic, which are potentially recyclable, or PLA plastic, which can be composted under commercial hot composting conditions.
- What can be recycled or composted in the region depends on local recyclers so this needs early clarification.
- The most important thing is to have only ONE type of plastic for clear cups, as recyclable plastic and compostable PLA clear cups are extremely difficult to tell apart and having both on site will cause contamination.
- Another option is to specify a reusable cup which is purchased by patrons. This should also be recyclable or compostable.
- Coffee cup lids were specified to be Type 6 in 2008, as these could be recycled with the Type 6 clear plastic cups. In 2009 a recycling route for these was not available.
- Food stalls to sign contracts stating what they can and cannot use as packaging, plates, drink cups and cutlery, with compliance being part of any bond conditions.
- Hold bonds back for those that do not comply.
- A pre-show walk around the Global Village (i.e. the food stalls) with a packaging supplier representative and the GV manager to see and approve all packaging is recommended.
- Make sure caterers also adhere to the general site rules for packaging etc., e.g.
- Food and drinks supplied to artists in back stage or other areas
- Food and drinks supplied to set up and pack down staff
5. Final sort of the recyclable and biodegradable streams (this seems to be necessary at this type of event)
- Sorting co-mingled recyclables and biodegradable (i.e. compostable) streams.
- Two people were employed for sorting
- The equipment used is a sorting table and three skips, one of which is for residual rubbish found in the sorted materials and the rubbish bags.
- A sorting station, onsite but isolated from the public, is ideal. If this is unavailable some form of waste storage area will be required and a sorting area arranged off-site. This is not recommended as it causes double handling.
6. Active management of cardboard and glass skips and bins during the event
- Cardboard and glass: collect separately, in clearly identified skips (for cardboard) and bins (for glass) behind the food stalls and bars.
- These must be labelled as soon as they are in position.
- They will not need sorting, although occasional checks from volunteers assisting behind the food stalls, and with bar bins and skips will be helpful, especially at the start. For example, stallholders might need to be told to flatten boxes.
7. Ability to safely and tidily store rubbish bags during busy periods.
- At no point should a bin or bag be overflowing as this means that the public will use the nearest bag which is likely to be the wrong type; overflowing containers also give a poor impression.
- At busy times, (e.g. 5-8pm in the evenings), bags may fill faster than they can be moved to consolidation areas. It is important to be able to change full for empty bags immediately, and to store them temporarily out of the way. This was one of the reasons why bags were chosen for the public areas for this event rather than bins as they are easier to handle and can be stacked.
8. Manage the material flows at the 'back end'.
- Have volunteers assigned to collect bags or bins so they don't accumulate and cause space issues.
- Bags hung on frames were used at the Recycle Stations as these were easier to manage than wheelie bins: they are easy to change when full, easy to stack, and easy to reach into to remove contamination. In the back of house areas, wheelie bins lined with bags were the practical choice for the 3 streams (cardboard and glass were managed separately) - these did not fill as quickly as in the public areas, and bins were needed to hold the bags.
- Bins or bags need to be able to be moved both during the event and each day before the event opens to the public.
- Hand-pulled trolleys were used for WOMAD 2008 (one was used) and 2009 (two were used) while the public was onsite.
- During the 2008 event a 4 wheeler with a trailer was also used each day before the public was onsite, and during the site clean up the day after the event finished. This was invaluable and is recommended as it means large volumes can be moved quickly. In 2009, the same function was performed by a small truck and trailer, staffed by 2 volunteers.
- Sufficient wheelie bins for glass need to be provided behind the bars to last until they can be emptied, as these are too heavy to be moved any distance by wheeling. In 2008 enough were supplied to cover a whole day, and were moved each morning to the glass crusher using the 4 wheeler and trailer. In 2009, they were emptied into skips at each bar as needed (2 strong people lifted them).
- Pulling the collection trolleys around the site is a physical job, and a critical one.
- 2 volunteers are needed at all times for each trolley, and no-shows must be covered, i.e. there needs to be a back-up plan.
- At least one of the 2 assigned to each trolley needs to be capable of repeated heavy lifting, and both need to be physically fit.
- Collections on the mornings of the festival are also critical. If volunteers are assigned to this, again, there needs to be a back-up plan in case of no-shows.
- Make sure the recyclables and compostables are easily separated from the residual rubbish and that the different materials are taken to the right areas, e.g. use black bags for rubbish, and clear bags for the other streams (this was implemented in 2009 and worked well).
9. Simple signage on bins and around the site.
- Use words, symbols and colours that people will instantly recognise e.g. "Recycling" rather than "Co-Mingled".
- Identifying which type of rubbish goes into which waste stream is often difficult for the public, so a lot of help needs to be give to make it very easy for them to work this out quickly, e.g.
- Many people do not understand that biodegradable includes FOOD, so signage needs to make this clear.
- Using actual examples of the different waste streams above each bin, not just pictures or words, is very helpful. 3D examples help as everyone processes this sort of information differently.
- Ensure good lighting is provided at night times, for public and volunteers to see what they are doing.
- Feedback indicates that the Recycling Stations fit almost too well into the landscape, so making these as visible as possible is important.
10. Remove or cover the six existing Park bins.
- These bins were a problem both years. People will use them if they are there; they then overflow and quickly become unsightly.
- Ideally, they need to be removed for the duration of the event.
- If this is not possible, they need to be well covered, with a convex top so material cannot be placed on top of the covers, and disguised so they do not look like rubbish bins.
11. Most of the waste will be generated by the public, but a significant amount comes from behind the scenes too.
- The food stall area, i.e. the Global Village:
- Most of the work behind the food preparation areas is organisational e.g. keeping the recycling areas clean, ensuring cardboard boxes are broken down.
- This could be the responsibility of the Global Village manager, as the recycling and waste tasks do not keep a volunteer occupied.
- In both 2008 and 2009, a volunteer was stationed at each of the 2 main food areas, but this does not seem necessary.
- Large amounts of wet food waste can be generated that become difficult to handle if too much is put in a food waste bin. Greater awareness of this in 2009 resolved it: stall holders were told about it, and between this, the Global Village manager and the volunteers, it was not an issue in 2009.
- Behind stages and technical/artist areas will have recyclables, compostables and rubbish too, especially if catered so they need to be part of the planning.
- Event setup and take down are also likely to contribute significant amounts of waste, so these also need to be planned for.
12. Make contingencies for bad weather.
- Ensure there is sufficient cover for the volunteers and the sorters
- If fine, consider shade for the volunteers
13. Keep the onsite profile of waste management high
- Prominent signage both at the bins and directing people towards them
- Information provided in as many ways as possible
- In the programme
- Frequent MC announcements from stages
- Engage the media
14. Make provision for site set up and pack down.
- A 4 wheeler (or small truck) and trailer is invaluable, and the same vehicle could be used for bag collection during the event.
- Additional help such as PD workers and volunteers will be needed to get everything in place.
- Volunteer 'assistant managers' could also be useful during set up.
- The waste collection company could also be asked to collect all wheelie bins as part of their contract.
Potential refinements
- Recycling Station volunteers could be organised and managed by the same people running the litter pickers
- Global Village waste and recycling management could be the responsibility of the Global Village manager, as this person already manages some cleaning etc. behind the food stalls. One or two volunteers would be needed each shift.
- Trolley collection of full bags and bins from around the site during the event could be run by Site Operations (2-4 volunteers at a time, and 1 or 2 trolleys).
- Backstage requirements could be assigned to the back stage crew. They would need to know where to put full bags for trolley collection. Not much material is generated by these areas, as long as caterers know the requirements for plates and cutlery etc.
- The sorting area is managed by the staff paid by the waste contractor, so once the sorters are underway, little input is needed.
- Set up and pack down could become part of site operations. Someone would need to be given responsibility for the setting up.
- The Towards Zero Waste manager role would then be:
- Ensuring all materials, plates, knives etc are consistent and compatible with goals
- Liaising with the waste collection contractor to ensure everything arrives as needed.
- Being onsite for the festival to solve problems as they arise.
- Establishing and leading new directions and targets for resource recovery and waste management on site.