• Event Type: Large outdoor unticketed
• Description: Annual, free, one day event open to the general public with food
  available for purchase and music provided.
• Size: 30,000 attendees in 2015
• Location: Auckland Council’s Ambury Farm Park, Mangere Bridge, Auckland
• Waste Separation: Recyclables, organics, landfill waste
• Performance: 89% diversion in 2015

How we did:

1 Reduce incoming waste

Our event team set clear requirements for vendors to use compostable packaging and separate waste. We also ensured they adhered to these standards.

2 Choose the right bin

Having predictable waste material types meant bin types could target the right waste streams with appropriate ratios.

3 Let people know

We moved away from printed flyers and used social media instead. The result was less waste and no drop in visitors.

4 Capture feedback

We have measured and assessed waste diversion over the last two years, seeing an improvement from 79% to 89% as a result of changes made.

Key Messages:

• Our main message is that recycling waste at events is easy!
• Both attendees and vendors were really keen to help as long as there was clear information about what to do.
• Allowing for plenty of bins and space for the collected material made sure everything was kept under control.

Key Learnings:

• Smaller community events are often held on a very tight budget
• Make sure you have the right number of community volunteers
• Weather can make numbers at outdoor events unpredictable
• Harder to communicate in advance with visitors without ticketing
• Lots of different groups can be involved, needing coordination