Barbara Hammonds, Taranaki Regional Council Donna Hutton, Taranaki Arts Festival Trust Simon Berndt

5. 
   Glass Crusher
   

A mobile crusher and trained operator were provided by the Glass Packaging Forum. Glass from the bars was crushed each day before the site opened to the public as it was inappropriate due to noise and other safety issues to run the crusher while patrons were on site.

3. 
   Front of House Recycling Stations
   

1. 
   Design and Specification
   

Recycling stations were created to allow clean and tidy collection and storage of all the public’s waste. Stations needed to be attractive, easy for patrons and volunteers to use, to cater for the three waste streams and have space for storage when busy until bag collection could occur.
Initially groups of three 240L wheelie bins were considered but due to potential problems with removal of bags when full, the final design eliminated the need for wheelie bins and bags were hung inside the stations instead.
The final design of the recycling stations is in the appendices, but the following design features were identified.

• 
  Easily assembled and able to be stored flat for transport.
  
• 
  Sized at 2.4m wide x 2.4m long x 1.8m high giving room for a row of bags on each side with space to move between them and storage space at one end. It was also based standard plywood sheet size of to minimise waste.
  

• 
  All recycling stations can have either 3 or 6 bags in use, for different scale events.
  
• 
  Doors at both ends for easy access.
  
• 
  Large holes in the sides, for patrons to put materials through.
  
• 
  External and internal lighting.
  
• 
  Room for signage both inside and out explaining each waste stream.
  

Figure 2: Internal arrangements for recycling stations

2. 
   Operation and Storage
   

The role of the station volunteer was to work with the flow of people, to be outside helping when there are more people around, and inside changing bags over in the slower times. (see 3.8 for more information).

Clear bags were used, hung over nails driven into the railings.

Limited storage for full bags was available inside the stations if the bags filled before they could be removed.

1. 
   Visual Message
   

• 
  The stations were painted in a design based upon the general site theme, using large stencil cut outs and vinyl signage.
  
• 
  Other design specifications included:
  
  • 
    Colour-coded signs with recycle symbols and words describing items for each stream went below the collection holes.
    
  • 
    Recycling station sign, vertically on one end.
    
  • 
    MfE logo on the bottom corner.
    
• 
  Actual items for biodegradable, recycling and rubbish streams were staple gunned above the collection holes to aid quick identification for the public. In hindsight this should have been done with clean, unused materials.
  

Figure 3: Visual Message on recycling stations

1. 
   Recycling Station Locations
   

• 
  There were seven recycling stations servicing the whole WOMAD site.
  
• 
  All needed good access and were placed close to main thoroughfares and by the food areas.
  
• 
  For exact locations see the site map in the appendices.
  

Figure 4: Moving a recycling station

1. 
   Front of House: Other Initiatives
   

• 
  To ensure the waste message was linked between the purchase and disposal of food, laminated signs indicating the use of biodegradable items were displayed around the food stalls.
  
• 
  These also correlated with the information provided in the WOMAD programme and website (see appendices) and regular stage announcements made by MCs reminding patrons to use the recycling stations.
  
• 
  Existing park bins were covered to discourage use, as these were not being emptied.
  

5. 
   Bag Collection
   

• 
  During the event one hand-pulled cart was used to move bags to the recycling centre, or storage areas.
  
• 
  More trips were planned for the main food area recycling station as this was expected to be the busiest.
  

Figure 5: Volunteers collecting bags by trolley

• 
  In practice, the trolley was in constant use, servicing all recycling stations, to minimise issues with overflow.
  
• 
  In areas where access for the trolley was difficult large secondary storage areas were used.
  

• 
  All stations and storage areas were emptied each morning before the event started using a motorised cart and trailer.
  

1. 
   Sorting of Bags at the Recycling Centre
   

• 
  The recycling centre was located in a lockable compound at one end of the site.
  

• 
  The sorting table was mounted between the recyclables and biodegradables skips, and the bulk of the material went straight into the appropriate skip eliminating further handling.
  

Figure 6: Sorters at work at the recycling centre

• 
  Bags for general waste and #6 plastics were hung from the sides to aid sorting.
  

• 
  A windbreak was planned but was not necessary.
  
• 
  A set of scales to weigh bags as they came through was also planned but was not able to be sourced. In the event, weights provided by the waste contractors were sufficient.
  

• 
  As a three day event the logistics of sorting all the rubbish was not simple, with sorters working through the day to clear the night before bags, and then the bags from the current day.
  
• 
  Full skips were only able to be collected when the site was not open to the public.
  

• 
  Sorters required an OSH briefing re: needles, broken glass and other possible hazards and were supplied with puncture proof gloves.
  

6. 
   Bins, Skips and Other Equipment
   

In addition to the recycling stations in the public domain a number of 240 L bins and cardboard skips were located “back of house” to be used by cast, crew and stallholders. This is summarised in Table 3 below.
Table 3: Numbers and location of backstage 240L bins

Area	240L bins for Rubbish	240L bins for Co-Mingled	240L bins for Biodegradable	240L bins for Glass	Cardboard skips
Stages (5)	5	5	5
Hospitality Centre	1	1	1	3
Media Centre	1	1	1
Main Food area	4	4	4	1*	2 x 9m^3
Gables food area	2	2	2		1 x 9m^3
Main Bar	1	1		5
Main Bar storage				26
Gables Bar	1	1		5
Bowl Bar	1	1		5
Bowl Food	1	1	1		1 x 9m^3
Kaimata Recycling Centre					1 x 9m^3
Taste of the World stage	1	1	1
Entrances (4)	8	4
TOTALS__26__22__15__45'>TOTALS	26	22	15	45	5 x 9m^3
Campsite	17	17	17
TOTALS	43	39	32	45	5 x 9m^3

• 
  240L bins were always in groups of three for each waste stream and were clearly labelled.
  
• 
  240L bins for glass were all blue to distinguish them from other bins.
  

1. 
   Skip Management: Biodegradable, Co-mingled Recyclables and Rubbish
   

• 
  3 x 15m³ skips were provided at the recycling centre, one for each of the above streams.
  
• 
  Skips were removed by truck in the morning before the event began only if required.
  

1. 
   Cardboard Handling and Skip Management
   

• 
  Large (9m³) skips were used because it would not be possible to empty these during the event due to site constraints. These were sufficient for the volumes for the weekend.
  
• 
  As this type of skip is usually used for general rubbish, clear labelling was important, especially when first placed around the site.
  
• 
  The cardboard skips behind the food stalls needed frequent monitoring by volunteers, both for removal of contamination and breaking down of boxes.
  

1. 
   Glass Handling
   

• 
  Glass from the bars was stored in 240L bins each day and crushed each morning.
  
• 
  Bins were lifted into the crusher by a bin lifter.
  

Figure 7: Resource recovery area (back of food stalls). Cardboard skip on the left, glass crusher with bin lifter on the right

1. 
   Logistics, Site Set Up and Take Down
   

• 
  Recycling stations skips and 240L bins were delivered and set up on the site the week prior to the event.
  
• 
  Labelling MUST be applied prior to being set out to avoid contamination.
  
• 
  All were collected and stacked for collection after the event finished.
  
• 
  It is important to factor in the set up and pack up time when planning such a project as they can be significant.
  

5. 
   Other Equipment and Bags
   

A wide variety of other, miscellaneous equipment was required to allow this project to operate smoothly. This included:

• 
  Staple guns.
  
• 
  Latex gloves, approx. 1 box per recycling station, plus extras.
  
• 
  Box cutters.
  
• 
  Bags: clear 240L wheelie bin liners x 800. It is important to have surplus bags.
  
• 
  Gaffer tape.
  
• 
  Sunblock for volunteers.
  

• 
  Puncture proof gloves for sorters.
  

7. 
   Back of House
   

1. 
   Behind the Food Stalls
   

No food stalls were provided with bins for their own exclusive use. Vendors were expected to take their waste to the resource recovery areas, aided by volunteers. These areas had sets of three 240L bins, cardboard bins and, where appropriate, glass bins.


Figure 8: General layout of the resource recovery area for food stalls.
Volunteers were dedicated to help at these areas by:

• 
  Flattening boxes.
  
• 
  Showing stall staff where to put their discarded materials.
  
• 
  Moving material when stallholders too busy.
  

1. 
   Backstage, Media Centre, Hospitality (VIP) Lounge
   

• 
  These areas were all supplied with sets of three 240L bins to cover their waste needs.
  
• 
  These were emptied and services by roving volunteers.
  

1. 
   Entrances
   

• 
  Bins were provided at the entrances for confiscated materials from entering patrons.
  
• 
  A set of three labelled 240L bins were provided at each entrance and managed by the trolley volunteers and supervisors.
  

8. 
   Staffing
   

1. 
   Organising Group and Roles
   

A working group of enthusiastic people was formed to develop the system and access resources. The success of this group depended in large part on the actual individuals involved as well as their contacts both within the waste industry and with those planning the event itself. It was essential that TAFT was fully committed to the concept and that the group included a TAFT representative and the technical manager for the site. The group ultimately had eight members.

2. 
   On-site co-ordination
   

Five members of the group volunteered to provide co-ordination over the whole event, and a sixth covered the final slot on the roster. Group members also worked the day after the event collecting the final bags, cleaning up and collecting bins.

1. 
   Volunteers
   

• 
  30 volunteers minimum were requested and in the event, 37 were assigned and they were all needed.
  
• 
  The volunteers were assigned through out the event in a variety of roles, as explained elsewhere in this report.
  
• 
  Volunteers were available for the duration of the event, but there were some shortages during setup and pack up which caused problems.
  

Figure 9: What can happen at the end of an event when stallholders are busy packing up and have no-one to assist.

1. 
   Roster
   

• 
  The volunteer roster was organised by TAFT.
  
• 
  Supervisors had a copy, and adjustments were made during the event, e.g. to cover no-shows and to manage physically demanding roles.
  

1. 
   Briefings and briefing sheets
   

• 
  General volunteer briefings were scheduled throughout the Friday the event started, by a supervisor from the organising group.
  
• 
  Briefing sheets (example sheet in appendices) were prepared for each of the roles and given to volunteers at the start of their first shift.
  

1. 
   Wandering rubbish collectors
   

• 
  A local community group was organised to collect dropped litter from around the site.
  
• 
  They were organised by TAFT and operated independently of the Zero Waste working group, which occasionally caused miscommunications.
  

1. 
   Sorters
   

• 
  Paid staff were used because this was a critical role and the work was not pleasant.
  
• 
  Due to OSH issues, using staff from a local waste business was the simplest option.
  

4. 
   FEEDBACK
   

1. 
   Public
   

Feedback at the event, both informal and formal (see appendices for survey), indicated a high level of support from the public for the way waste was managed, as well as constructive suggestions for improvements.
Comments included:

“Much improved on last year…hard to see how to improve further, but images or actual objects not words might be better.”

“Not very easy until items were stapled up”

“Confusing that not all plates etc are biodegradable” (contrary to their contract, some stallholders were using plastic plates).

“Very impressive, useful to be told what to do.”
Recycling station volunteers observed that children picked up the system very quickly, and that day visitors on Sunday were easy to spot as they needed more help than people who were attended the whole event indicating people were able to learn the systems in place. Patron interest extended to some even taking photos of the stations.
Some patrons also commented that this was the cleanest event they had attended with very little litter left on the ground. It seems likely that this was because patrons were taking more responsibility for their own waste, as there was the same number of people picking up litter around the site as at previous events.
The attractiveness of the recycling stations, ease of use and regular stage announcements are all likely to have contributed to the positive impression made. A final comment from a patron after the event:

“The people at the recycling stations were so friendly and helpful it presented a great image for recycling.”

2. 
   Media
   

A positive report appeared in the local daily newspaper the Tuesday after the event.

Further opportunities for publicity have occurred since the event. For example, newspaper coverage, see appendices, from winning an environment award in May.

3. 
   Volunteers
   

Both during the event and afterwards, volunteers gave constructive feedback on improving the system for next time, commented on how much they enjoyed themselves, and talked about how the public responded.

Comments included:

“There were many compliments from people who were totally enthused by the recycling stations and zero waste effort. I, myself, had a great time!!”

“[We] had a blast doing the green thing up at the Brooklands area…We really enjoyed working at the main area and would like to do the same area next year.”

“Just so enjoyed being part of the Green Waste Team – manning the station, educating the public (and myself).”

“The public feedback was amazing!”

“It was a great feeling being part of something so wonderful.”

“WOMAD received so many compliments from people about the recycling stations and everyone, on the whole, was incredibly enthused by it.”

Several of the volunteers also commented that even though they were already committed to reducing their waste at home, they would be doing it even better as a result of what they had learned.

4. 
   Litter pickers
   

The supervisor of the community group collecting litter noted that there was a direct correlation between stage announcements and the amount of litter to pick up (i.e. no announcement lead to more litter).
They were also impressed with the recycling stations and had been sceptical as to whether patrons would change their behaviour.

5. 
   Recycling and Compost Operators
   

Taranaki Recyclers Ltd received the co-mingled recyclables and were impressed with the standard.
Perry Environmental Ltd accepted the biodegradable material and was happy with the quality, stating that it was already breaking down two weeks after the event.

6. 
   TAFT and Site Technical Manager
   

The site Technical Manager was impressed with the way the system worked and is committed to ensuring space is available at next years’ event. TAFT was very happy with the results. They have committed to continuing this approach at future WOMADs and are investigating it for other events they run. They will also be encouraging promoters of other events at the Bowl of Brooklands to consider waste minimisation.

7.