Did you know that over 3 million of us attend UK music
festivals every year and create a shocking 23,500 tons of waste? It’s no
surprise that event organisers have now realised that they need to be more
responsible, sustainable and eco-friendly.
This year saw some really interesting and effective ways
festivals aimed to reduce their impact on the environment – including
Glastonbury banning the sale of all single use plastics and 60 other festivals
including Reading and Leeds promising the same by 2021.
If you’re planning your event for 2020, here are some
inspired ideas for how you can become an eco-friendly festival:
- Ditch
the plastic – join the rest of them and introduce reusable water bottles,
cups and straws and offer free water stations. Our favourites are our
stainless-steel styles (which can be branded for your event), or the
world’s most eco-friendly water bottle made from sugar cane and 100%
recyclable. You’ll find them all here*
- Recycling
is essential and easy, but so many festivals miss opportunities due to
bins that are either the wrong size or in the wrong place. Make sure you
have different categories – Glastonbury have dry recycles, compostable
waste and landfill.
- Investigate
renewable sources of power – Shambala Festival in Northamptonshire uses
100% renewable power through a mix of vegetable oil and solar panel units
rather than diesel-powered generators.
- Composting
– from plates, tents and toothbrushes, right through to the toilets, there
are ways you can compost your waste. Every little helps, so you can start
small with our range of biodegradable bamboo products here*
- Offer
Alternatives – there will always be an eco-friendly alternative to the
crowd’s favourite festival goodies, including glitter! As glitter is a
microplastic it doesn’t breakdown and pollutes our oceans, so our Eco
Glitter Fun* lets you sparkle guilt-free. The crowd love to be heard so
make some ‘green noise’ with our 100% biodegradable & compostable bio
bang sticks made from cornstarch -
- Get
Your Staff Involved – as event organisers it’s your responsibility
to empower your staff to educate festivalgoers on the green values
you have introduced to your event. Arm them with eco options they can show
off – from the lanyards and wristbands they are wearing to the
branded clothing and ponchos, we supply a variety of sustainable styles,
so even the team on the ground are reducing your carbon footprint.
For more ideas on Festival products and merchandise that you
can have at your event next year, get in touch with the team at Meco
Merchandise at info@mecomerchandise.com
or visit our website www.mecomerchandise.com/festival
for more inspiration.
