Top tips on effective waste management during festivals

Summer’s here and the time is right for dancing in…a muddy field! With a dogged determination to ignore the British weather, festival goers are brushing off their wellies and buying disposal tents in preparation for seeing their favourite bands. When thinking of festivals, most people think of the big music ones, such as Glastonbury, the Isle of Wight or V, which attract thousands of people every year.

But it’s not just about music. The popularity of all kinds of festivals has increased in recent years – Hay is famous for its literary festival, there are food festivals popping up all over the country, and beer festivals have been around for as long as the Campaign for Real Ale. Smaller and more unusual festivals in the UK include cheese rolling, fireball whirling and Viking longship burning. There’s a festival for almost every interest.

Despite the diversity of themes, there is one universal truth about festivals. The most inevitable part of any gathering, especially when you’ve got thousands of people converging, is the organiser’s annual festival waste management headache.

Glastonbury’s rubbish

For example, in 2014 the UK’s biggest festival, Glastonbury, recycled a total of 983 tonnes of waste or diverted it from landfill thanks to 15,000 recycling bins around the site and a volunteer recycling crew…but that made up only 54% of the total rubbish. It ended up costing an eye-watering £780,000 to dispose of all the rubbish – and that’s with an army of volunteers cleaning up after everyone. As all of Glastonbury’s profits go to charity, that’s three-quarters of a million pounds that’s not going to Oxfam, Greenpeace, Water Aid and other good causes.

How can a festival deal with its waste?

Despite efforts to reduce waste and increase recycling and sustainability, it’s inevitable that festival organisers will have to find ways of managing rubbish during their events. A good waste management company can help save money by increasing the efficiency of waste disposal. By hiring compactors and balers, mixed waste and recycling can be disposed of easily, at the same time as saving money by minimising collections.

Phoenix Compactors have more than 30 years’ experience in waste management. We can help you assess your festival’s waste disposal needs and will provide a solution which help your boost your green credentials. Call our Festival Team on 01708 550641 to find out more