One crucial and often overlooked aspect that can significantly impact the success and smooth running of an event is its waste management. Effective event waste management ensures a clean and pleasant environment for your guests and contributes to the event’s sustainability.
Here are some key strategies to organise waste management for successful events.
Pre-Event Planning
The first step towards successful event waste management is pre-event planning. Appoint someone within your organisation to take responsibility for waste and decide on your goals. These may include:
- Zero waste to landfill
- Increasing your overall recycling versus previous years
- More segregation of different waste streams to maximise recycling, reuse and recovery
- Minimising on-site vehicle movements and reducing the number of collections
- Educating event staff, suppliers and visitors about the importance of recycling
- Being recognised as an organisation/event that cares about the environment and its neighbours
- Collecting post-event recycling data to measure eco and financial savings and help set future goals
- Consider the types of waste you will likely have on-site, such as plastics, cans, glass, cardboard/packaging, food, paper, campsite, hazardous, and general waste.
Choosing The Right Supplier
Working closely with a company with experience in event waste management is a huge advantage. They can provide the best advice and share their expertise. When choosing a supplier, consider the following:
- Are they proactive with ideas?
- Will they help you understand your event priorities?
- Can they tailor a flexible waste management plan to meet your needs within your budget?
- Will they provide a detailed timeline showing key dates, decisions and actions?
- Can they provide testimonials and case studies to demonstrate their experience?
- Is all their equipment clean and well-maintained, including their vehicles?
- Do they have a full range of container sizes, and will they provide signage?
- Will staff be on-site during the event, and is there a 24/7 point of contact?
- Where will your waste go, and how will it be measured?
- Will there be a post-event wash-up to review your waste audit results?
During The Event
During the event, ensure that clear and straightforward signs direct visitors to bin stations or containers where they can leave their waste. Work with catering suppliers, provide signage, and separate food waste caddies back-of-house to help segregate leftover or unwanted food. This can then go into particular food waste bins and be collected separately. Because food waste is heavy, keeping it out of general waste bins can save organisers money, and it’s a greener approach because it generates renewable electricity.
Remember, there are no second chances for events; you and your waste management provider must get it right first time round!
Following these steps ensures that your event is successful, sustainable, and environmentally friendly.
Speak to DCW about your event waste management needs
If you’re looking for a trusted event waste management company then loo no further than DCW. We are genuinely passionate about helping event organisers to better collect, organise and dispose of the waste their events create.
Learn more about how we can help, especially towards your sustainability goals, right here.