LET S SORT IT OUT! BETRE EVENT WASTE MANAGEMENT TOOL BOOK Guidelines for event organisers

Transcription

1 LET S SORT IT OUT! BETRE EVENT WASTE MANAGEMENT TOOL BOOK Guidelines for event organisers

2 First edition Publishing year: 2018 Front cover photo: Omer Levin, back cover photo: Eetu Ahanen Layout and graphics: Julia Bushueva, The Natural Step This tool book is intended for event organisers and circular economy enthusiasts. It is created in the circular economy initiative called Betre, which was funded by the Finnish Ministry of Environment. Read more about Betre events and pilots on the website betre.fi, and twitter #wecandobetre. We want that understanding of sustainability spreads. This license allows you to use our work for non-commercial purposes. When doing so, remember to acknowledge The Natural Step. Natural Step Nordic Oy Kuortaneenkatu , Helsinki Written and designed by The Natural Step Finland

3 CONTENTS FOREWORDS... 1 INTRODUCTION... 2 GETTING ORGANISED... 5 Place of the event... 5 Engagement... 5 ENGAGEMENT & MOTIVATION... 7 Food vendors... 7 Volunteers... 7 TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS... 8 STRUCTURES & INSTALLATIONS... 9 HOW TO COMMUNICATE PLANNING RECYCLING POINTS RECYCLABLE & BIODEGRADABLE Biodegradable Recyclable SIGNS & CONTAINERS GROUPING CONTAINERS ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT TIMEFRAME CLEANING & DISASSEMBLING AFTER THE EVENT Reporting Other things to remember IDEAS FOR THE FUTURE Photo: Eetu Ahanen

4 What is a sustainable event? Let s ask Betre... Photo: Eetu Ahanen, Teurastamo.com

5 FOREWORDS We created Betre event waste management tool book for event organisers and circular economy enthusiasts to share our learnings and tested practices. In a sustainable world, there is no waste, and instead, materials and energy circulate forever. But before we get there, our society will produce materials that we call waste - something that is considered to have such a low return on investment, that is often prefered to be send for a final discarding. In a sustainable society, additional costs for managing waste materials will be eliminated and the value from converting waste into raw materials will not be lost. There are multiple advantages in making event waste management as good as possible. When it s considered as a part of planning and making of the event from the very beginning, it actually makes the work easier in many ways. A well planned event waste management means less waste, cleaner event, lower costs and lower logistics demands. Last but not the least, it shows our respect to people and Mother Nature.<3 This tool book is prepared in collaboration with Sideways Festival 2017, companies of Helsinki wholesale market (Tukkutori), Ministry of Environment and Remeo. Thanks for all the learnings and thoughts - keep up the good work! We hope you find this small booklet handy and useful when you plan your own event. We re happy to receive feedback and hear about your experiences, to make the next version of this tool book even better. Good luck with your event! Outi Ugas Senior Advisor, CEO, The Natural Step in Finland 1

6 INTRODUCTION Events play an important role in Finnish social life. Every year only in the capital region happen thousands of events, which have positive impacts on the economy, travel industry and culture. At the same time, events put a significant burden on the environment, which should be minimised. One of these negative impacts is waste. The goal of sustainable event waste management is to minimise waste amounts and increase reuse and recycling of materials. Following the waste hierarchy, management of waste should follow action steps in the following order: waste prevention as the preferred option, followed by reuse, recycling, recovery including energy, and landfilling as the last option. In sustainable event waste management, focus needs to be on the top three options, minimising mixed waste amounts and increasing share of reuse and recycling. Sustainable event waste management looks for ways to create positive social value and to affect in the long run behavior of people. Typically event planning involves many people and collaboration is one very important element of a successful event waste management. It helps to engage different stakeholders around the same goal, and increase the value of materials. While having good time and enjoying the program, people end up leaving behind tons of waste. 2

7 Most common types of waste generated during events: empty bottles and cans paper or plastic plates cutlery napkins plastic bags leftover food and drinks (including biodegradable cutlery and dishes) packaging cartons cigarette buds Can I throw napkins into biowaste? Photo: Omer Levin 3

8 For an outdoor event, anticipate bad weather conditions and plan for it. Prepare solutions for protecting waste from water, wind and snow. Photo: Eetu Ahanen, Teurastamo.com 4

9 GETTING ORGANISED One big challenge in organising event waste management is that there is no single right solution, because event waste management always depends on the location and event specifics. In order to ensure sustainable waste management throughout the event, planning things ahead of time helps to ensure things go well and sustainability is taken into consideration in the entire event planning. Place of the event for an indoor event, give a preference to event locations that have environmental program and/or certificate, for example Ekokompassi. when choosing location for an event, consider CO2 emissions and give preference to a place with an easy access by public transportation and a possibility of bicycling to the place. Plan for enough bicycle racks. Deliver early in advance your waste management plan to the city s environmental center (30 days before the event) Engagement get a commitment from the event organisers and the administration board of the area to support sustainable waste management. Having everybody on board will make it easier to boost recycling. once the commitment is gained, define priorities around waste reduction (by waste fraction) together with other stakeholders think about concrete actions around food serving, packaging and assembling that would decrease waste. think how you could save money and reuse some installations, signs and volunteer uniform in the future. 5

10 Run a survey among food vendors to identify types of waste from their sales. Based on the survey answers, plan enough bins for the recycling points. However, be ready to adjust your plan during the event. Photo: Juuso Westerlund, Teurastamo.com 6

11 ENGAGEMENT & MOTIVATION When planning event waste management, include food vendors, general public and event staff in preparations and coordinate the entire process. It is important to take into consideration others interests and find ways to motivate people to participate in waste reduction. Food vendoors discuss with food vendors their reycling targets and provide them with communication materials demonstrating their commitment to waste reduction and recycling. if you require your vendors to use biodegradable cutlery, you should provide them with clear instructions on what types of biodegradable products they can use. prior to the event hand out recycling guidelines to food vendors that cover what types of waste is collected and where they can take it. plan additional recycling bins near the vendors for food and packaging materials. Volunteers provide waste management team of volunteers with easily recognizable clothing (vest, caps or t-shirts). brief volunteers about waste collection points and targets for recycling and its importance. provide each volunteer with recycling and waste disposal instructions (printed or laminated) assign at least one volunteer per each recycling point to maintain cleanliness and help visitors to put waste in the right containers. Preventing waste contamination at the source is much easier than later trying to take wrong trash out of the bins. 7

12 TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS By making people think about transportation choice, you create awareness and understanding of a negative impact that car transportation has on the environment. It will be easier then to communicate about waste management. Encourage visitors to think about the environment and to chose walking, bicycling or public transport for getting to the event. When offering parking for the visitors, organise parking fees based on the number of people in the car to encourage carpooling and rideshare. Photo: Maria Miklas, Teurastamo.com When organizing delivery of waste containers and equipment to the area, consider combining it with other logistics for the event to improve efficiency and to reduce emissions and costs. 8

13 STRUCTURES & INSTALLATIONS Check with the people responsible for installations what type of packaging and installation waste they will have. Plan with them how to manage it in a responsible way. Include into the discussions people responsible for the cleaning of the area. For the time of construction provide enough containers for cardboard and clear plastic collection. Organise containers in convenient locations that volunteers can easily reach and empty on time. Provide construction crew with recycling guidelines and a location of waste containers. Organise reuse or recycling of installation materials. There are businesses and organisations that use event banners for making bags or other recycled products. Photo: Eetu Ahanen, Teurastamo.com 9

14 HOW TO COMMUNICATE 1 Communicate The majority of people care about the environment and they will be interested to support the event that considers the environment, and aims at minimising waste and increasing its recycling. In order to make a difference, it is important though to clearly communicate to the public about waste targets and goals. Sometimes event participants do not know that waste gets recycled and they often are not aware, for example, of biodegradable plates and cutlery. Waste targets in advance to event participants about waste reduction targets and how they can help to increase recycling. 2 Use Signs signs during the event to tell about event waste management. 3 Communication channels Use event website and social media channels to engage visitors around the topic of waste and sustainability. Include recycling points on the map. Photo: Eetu Ahanen, Teurastamo.com 10

15 PLANNING RECYCLING POINTS For planning the number of waste containers identify main waste types, where it comes from, and at what time happen waste disposal peaks. Based on the estimated number of visitors calculate how many kg of waste you will have in separate waste fractions. If possible, use waste data from previous years. Event area must have enough waste bins, and they should be well grouped and appropriately positioned to ensure good visibility and easy access. It is recommended to plan a slightly higher number of waste bins, to accommodate possible increase in waste amounts. Planning the number of waste bins, their location and emptying intervals should be done in collaboration with the waste management company. Photo: Eetu Ahanen, Teurastamo.com 11

16 Check list for planning recycling points: pick areas along the main walking routes choose locations in close proximity to food and beverage sale points organise at the entrance a dedicated bin for things that cannot be taken to the event area (umbrellas, aerosols, etc.) provide separate waste containers for biodegradable cutlery Photo: Eetu Ahanen, Teurastamo.com 12

17 Lawn seating Main entrance Activities Food vendoors Heavy circulation Outdoor seating Photo: Maria Miklas, Teurastamo.com 13

18 RECYCLABLE & BIODEGRADABLE Waste generated at events can be split into two main categories: recyclable and biodegradable. Biodegradable waste will decompose and it includes organic materials, such as food scraps and biodegradable cutlery, cups and plates. Recyclable waste needs to be separated into waste fractions for processing. Biodegradable waste Typically people become confused when it comes to throwing away biodegradable cutlery and dishes, and may put it instead in energy or mixed waste. Take into consideration that during festivals and other events visitors make quick decisions and the atmosphere does not support detailed reading of signs. instead of labeling waste bins with signs bio or energy, use labels plates and cutlery or cups. Recyclable waste Most typical types of recyclable nonorganic waste is carboard, glass, metal and plastic. It is a good idea to plan for additional recycling bins, locating them near food vendors, high circulation paths and main event activities. It is important to provide clear insturctions on what types of waste can be disposed in each waste container. Visual examples help people to make right decisions and to avoid confusion. In FInland, if during the event recyclable waste fractions are equal or exceed 50 kg, those waste fractions should be collected separately from the rest of waste. 14

19 SIGNS & CONTAINERS VERTICAL TOP SIGNS Examples of acceptable waste Easy reading, located on eye level Color coding CLEAR FRONTAL ICONS PAHVI BIOJÄTE 500 mm HOLES WITH UNIQUE SHAPES COLOR CODING 190 mm Ruoantähteet Biohajoavat ruokailuvälineet Servettit 300 mm ONE-WORD LABELING 1070 mm BIOJÄTE BIOJÄTE 580 mm 731 mm give enough time for designing and printing signs and labels use color coding and universal icons with minimum text avoid small lettering and long text, giving preperence to one-word labeling include vertical top signs, as they are easy to read from a distance and can have visual examples of acceptable waste use holes with unique shapes help to differentiate between different waste containers 15

20 GROUPING CONTAINERS Group waste containers and secure them with flexible and light structures that prevent containers from flipping or moving around the area. For the structures use recyclable materials, such as wood and plan their reuse for the future events. according to the waste management plan, place a correct number and type of containers per each recycling point avoid putting too many mixed waste containers and instead, provide more recycling options make a list of existing waste containers in the area (for example by listing the photos) to ensure that they are placced back after the event check that recycling signs are visible from a distance and readable in close proximity. After it gets dark, recycling options and signs should be still easy to locate and read BIOJÄTE SEKAJÄTE ENERGIAJÄTE KARTONKI 16

21 ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT Typically waste management is something, which is not noticed until it is missing. When taking care of the event waste management, it is important to keep an eye on the implementation and be flexible to correct things quickly. Guide & Assist guide festival workers and volunteers on how to react when they notice that something is not working according to recycling guidelines. make sure that the volunteer team has a leader to help them with coordinating waste management and emptying recycling bins. At the entrance check that there are bins outside the gate or at the entrance or people to leave their empty bottles, gums, food wrappers, banana peels, etc. From the point of visitors check that visitors can locate different waste containers in the area and it is easy for them to use recycling points. Food vendors check the situation with biodegradable cutlery and plates check the situation with drink container recycling in bars and restaurantsrecycling points. Keeping an eye on... if noticed that something is not working, be ready to modify things. Be prepared to change waste bin locations or bring additional containers. evaluate if you need to have more instructions on waste separation, such as stickers or signs. 17

22 TIMEFRAME Use a clock-based planner to have the full picture of the event tasks. You can share it with volunteers and others invovled in the waste management during the event Updates & communication to volunteers/vendors 1 Collect feedback from volunteers Finetune recycling points Checking efficiency of recycling stations Monitor compliance with recycling 10 2 EVENT BEGINS 9 date/month 3 Briefing for volunteers Briefing for vendors Checking labels & signs Ensuring delivery of bins 8 4 Check recycling points & data collection Collecting final waste data Clean up 7 6 EVENT ENDS 5 8:00 Ensuring delivery of bins Checking labels and signs Briefing for vendors Briefing for volunteers Event begins 9:30 Checking efficiency of recycling points & monitor compliance with recycling 11:00 Updates & communication to volunteers/ vendors 13:00 Collect feedback from volunteers Finetune recycling points 15:00 Check recycling points & data collection 18:00 Event ends Clean up Collecting final waste data 18

23 CLEANING & DISASSEMBLING Make sure that cleaning and disassembling happens according to the plan and waste is properly disposed off. Check that waste fractions go to the right location for recycling, avoiding contamination and mixing with mixed waste. This is critical for recycling if disassembling crue is different from the installation crew. Food vendors check that bars, restaurants and food trucks have enough recycling bins for their after cleaning. make sure that vendors have cleaned up the site accordingly Event area After the cleaning and disassembling, check that no waste is left behind. Installations Collect reusable installation materials and store them for the future events. Send non-reusable installation materials for recycling. Waste containers ensure that after cleaning and disassembling all additionally ordered waste containers are transported back to the supplier and all regular containers are returned to their usual locations. Waste sorting check that all recyclable waste has been properly separated, stored and ready for the delivery to the waste management facilities. Cleaning use ecological cleaning solutions that do not harm the environment. 19

24 Can it be better in the future? Zero waste event? Photo: Eetu Ahanen, Teurastamo.com 20

25 AFTER THE EVENT After the event has taken place, organisers need to inform Environmental Center (Ympäristökeskus) about actual waste amounts for different waste fractions, that were collected during the event. Reporting: Collect waste management data and evaluate if the situation has changes since the year before (or in comparison with the previously organised events). Check how much waste was collected in total and in separate waste fractions. Other things to remember: after the event thank other event organisers and operators for their commitment and participation in recycling analyse collect waste data and learn from findings distribute the questionnaire about the success of recycling among event partners, foood vendors, volunteers and general public. 21

26 IDEAS FOR THE FUTURE We listed below several ideas for the future event that you and your team can try to implement for a more sustainable event waste management. Separate labels for biodegradable plates and cutlery can increase recycling rates and avoid mixing it up with other waste fractions. Switching to plates, cups and spoons/forks/knives labels, instead of typical biowaste, might work as a nudging tool for the event visitors. Developing pantti system for plate collection could reduce the waste and keep materials in the loop. It would require a second look at the types of plates (biodegradable or recyclable) in order to set up a wellfunctioning plate recycling system. Trying to minimise the number of mixed waste containers by substituting them with recycling bins for different waste fractions. Having at least one volunteer for each recycling point will ensure that waste is put into the right containers. A waste audit (carried throughout the day by the event team) will help to identify areas where changes could be made to improve waste minimisation efforts for future events. 22

27 Thanks to the Natural Step Finland staff for their work in creating this tool book: Marleena Ahonen, Outi Ugas, Johanna Kohvakka, Julia Bushueva, Antti Reunanen. Special thanks to our intern Nargiza Khamidova for her help.