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

Stallholders

Most stallholders had few problems with the biodegradable crockery and cutlery requirements, with only a few not taking this requirement seriously. Feedback was limited, and generally positive apart from a complaint about other stallholders not complying. One stallholder also commented that there was no-one there to help when they took rubbish over to the recycling area, indicating they were becoming used to and appreciating the volunteers presence.

8. 
   Zero Waste Organising Group
   

The supervisors found it hard work but satisfying, with their major recommendations summarised in section six. Two key issues emerged:

• 
  The need for better collection of bags from around the site, both during the event and at the end of each day. The ability to use a powered vehicle would make a big difference.
  
• 
  For the volunteer roster to be better aligned to the needs of the tasks, and for more input from the organisers into the roster design.
  

9. 
   Other Feedback
   

TAFT and the volunteers received a Taranaki Regional Council Environmental Award “for integrating waste minimisation into public event management”. (See appendices for the award citation)

5. 
   RESULTS
   

1. 
   Overview
   

WOMAD 2008, Zero Waste program was a spectacular success with nearly 11 tonnes of waste being recycled or composted. This amounts to 114m³ of waste that was redirected out of landfills.
Of the 114m³ by volume the largest category was cardboard (flattened), 45m³, followed biodegradables, 30m³. This is extremely important as landfills only contain a set volume and reducing some of these large volume products allows the landfills to remain viable for longer.
Out of the 10.8 tonnes by weight, the major components were: biodegradables, 3.12 tonnes, glass, 3.11 tonnes, and cardboard, 2.58 tonnes. Weight is also important as disposal costs are usually charged on a weight basis and also impacts fuel usage costs.
From this it is easy to see that biodegradables and cardboard are the major contributors both to the environmental and economic issues. Therefore, careful management of these waste two streams will make the biggest impact on the Zero Waste target at events like WOMAD.
However, it is through attention to all the major waste streams that the true environmental and economic gains can be realised as biodegradables and cardboard only account for 40-45% of the total waste. Additionally, some of the smaller waste streams, such as plastics or metals, may disproportionately contribute to environmental impact.

2. 
   Weights and Volumes
   

The breakdown of all these other streams at the WOMAD 2008 festival is provided in Table 1 below. It must be noted that owing to time constraints on the day after the festival 18m³ of collected waste was unable to be sorted and had to be sent straight to landfill. This was highly unfortunate as it is anticipated that similar separation ratios would have occurred allowing a final total for recycled and composted waste to have been nearly 85%, instead of the final total of 72.6%. The percentage values for only the sorted waste and for the total waste are included in the table below for comparison.


Figure 10: Biodegradable skip contents


Table 4: Summary of results, by category in both weight and volume

Product Type	Weights (kg)	Volume (cubic metres, m^3)	% of total excluding unsorted waste	% of total including unsorted waste
Cardboard	2,580	45	20.2%	17.3%
Glass	3,110	3 crushed (10 uncrushed)	24.3%	20.9%
Sorted at Recycling Centre*
Grade 6 plastics	600	6	4.7%	4.0%
Co-mingled recyclables	1,410	15	11.0%	9.5%
Biodegradables	3,120	30	24.4%	20.9%
Waste to landfill (sorted)	1,960	15	15.3%	13.1%
Subtotal of material sorted at recycling Centre, cardboard and glass	12,780	114	100%
Waste to landfill (unsorted)	2,130	18		14.3%
Total	14,910	132		100.0%
Total weight recycled or composted	10,820		84.7%	72.6%
Weight to landfill (sorted)	1,960		15.3%
Total weight to landfill (sorted and unsorted)	4,090			27.4%

These results were generated in two ways. Firstly, volume from adding up the number of skip bins filled on site and multiplying this by the volumes of each bin. Therefore, volumes are at best an estimate only and are by necessity significantly rounded. Secondly, weight measurements were taken at truck weigh stations by the waste management contractor and are therefore likely to be a more accurate record of the results.

A stated above the recovery rate from material separated/sorted on site during the event was 84.7% (10,820kg from a total of 12,780kg). This far exceeds the estimated recovery rate of 61.8% estimated from previous years and the Australian WOMADelaide results, which is very gratifying. A break down of these estimates is given in section 3.2.
It was discovered afterwards that all rubbish bags were also sorted, along with the bags of recyclables and biodegradables which was not intended. This likely contributed to the lack of time/space to complete the sorting and hence the 2,130kg of unsorted material that went to landfill (a mixture of rubbish, recyclable and biodegradable bags).
Assuming no rubbish bags had been sorted and all recyclable and biodegradable material generated on site had been separated/sorted, the recovery rate is expected to be somewhere between the two sets of percentages given in the table, i.e. 72.6% and 84.7%.

3. 
   Tally Sheets
   

Waste was also tallied as it was collected from each recycling station. This information is provided below in an abbreviated format to indicate the range that is possible from different rubbish sites.
Table 5: Summary of bags collected at each Recycling Station

As Table 5 shows, the major sites for waste were next to the food areas. This was especially so for the main food area. At 153 bags, this was 3 times the next largest, Bowl bar and food areas.

It should be noted in these results that some waste stations were located more conveniently for litter collectors to dump bags at, and for backstage food to be dumped at, and consequently are likely to be some what skewed in their results. Also, volunteers were sometimes too busy to use the tally sheets.

4. 
   Summary
   

Three quarters of the waste generated at WOMAD 2008 was diverted from landfill and sent to either recycling or composting. The amount sent to landfill includes a significant amount, over 2 tonnes, that was not sorted due to time constraints.

A stated above, the recovery rate from material separated/sorted on site during the event was 84.7% (10,820kg from a total of 12,780kg). This far exceeds the estimated recovery rate of 61.8% estimated from previous years and the Australian WOMADelaide results. A break down of these estimates is given in section 3.1.
It was discovered afterwards that all rubbish bags were also sorted, along with the bags of recyclables and biodegradables, which was not intended. This likely contributed to the lack of time/space to complete the sorting and hence the 2,130kg of unsorted material that went to landfill (a mixture of rubbish, recyclable and biodegradable bags).
Assuming no rubbish bags were sorted and all recyclable and biodegradable material generated on site had been separated/sorted, the recovery rate is expected to be somewhere between the two sets of percentages given in the table, i.e. 72.6% and 84.7%.

6. 
   RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WOMAD 2009
   

Following an in-depth debrief session the waste management organising team identified the following issues that should be looked at for WOMAD 2009, to further increase and enhance the effectiveness of the Zero Waste message:

1. 
   Volunteer Comfort, Weather Contingencies, Health and Safety
   

• 
  Shade/rain sails for recycle stations.
  
• 
  Hand sanitiser, at all waste stations.
  

1. 
   Signage and Lighting
   

• 
  Some additional signage e.g. ‘wayfinders’ to recycle stations and information on the Zero Waste approach.
  
• 
  Additional lighting, installed well out of people’s way.
  

1. 
   On-site Composting
   

• 
  Composting the biodegradable material on-site to eliminate transport to the compost facility.
  
• 
  TAFT to submit to NPDC on composting on-site, integrated with the NPDC Parks Team.
  

1. 
   Human Resources
   

• 
  Additional help with the set up and pack out phase, possibly a PD team.
  
• 
  More resources are needed for sorting waste, for example two 10 hour shifts of 2 staff each day.
  
• 
  Sanitation facility required for sorters, to avoid them entering public areas.
  
• 
  A central check-in point for volunteers would help with volunteer management.
  

1. 
   Recruitment of volunteers
   

• 
  It is recommended that volunteers be 18 years or over to manage dealing with the public and stallholders.
  
• 
  Higher levels of training needed for some of the waste management roles would be better with locals who are available for training.
  

1. 
   Management of Volunteer Roster
   

• 
  Waste management organiser to be more involved with the roster so that it better meets the requirements.
  

7. 
   Supply/Service Agreements
   

A more ‘seamless’ approach to waste management across all aspects of the event. Including:

• 
  Expectations of food stallholders fully established.
  
• 
  Back stage managers, off-site caterers, pre- and post-event caterers to be fully briefed on expectations of waste management especially about biodegradable and recyclable product requirements.
  
• 
  Ensure suppliers of biodegradable crockery and cutlery to be available during the event for food stall restocking if required.
  

1. 
   On Site Water Provision
   

• 
  Significant and obvious drinking water taps available for public use and to be marked on the programme map
  
• 
  Tankers of water with multiple taps is another option.
  
• 
  A WOMAD branded water bottle could be made available for sale. A refillable bottle is already sold. Biodegradable water bottles made from polylactic acid (PLA) were discussed, but it seems that recyclers are opposed to these. Their similarity to PET drink bottles means they are very difficult to keep out of plastic recycling, and are causing problems.
  

1. 
   Organisation
   

• 
  If funding is available, a part time person is employed in the lead up to the event specifically to organize the Zero Waste aspect, including volunteer rosters.
  
• 
  Litter pickers to be integrated with the waste management team.
  
• 
  Planning for WOMAD 2009 to start in September.
  

1. 
   On Site Mobility and Transport
   

• 
  Motorised collection of rubbish bags and bins from around the site during the event, possibly sponsored.
  

1. 
   Other Waste Minimisation Initiatives
   

• 
  Branded wine and beer cups which patrons buy and reuse.
  
• 
  Food stalls to be provided with smaller containers, say 20L pails, to make biodegradable waste more manageable.
  

1. 
   Media Coverage
   

• 
  A media release to be prepared for the lead-up to the event, and another for the results after the event
  

1. 
   Financial Implications of Zero Waste Approach
   

• 
  The amount spent on managing waste at previous WOMADs needs to be used as the baseline cost.
  
• 
  Waste minimisation costs need to be seen as additional to this not substituting for it.
  
• 
  Costs associated with waste minimisation to be built into the ticket price, say $1-1.50 a ticket. This is not likely to be possible for 2009.
  

1. 
   Other costs
   

• 
  Many items which were sponsored this year might need to be funded in 2009, e.g. skip hire, bin hire, rubbish bags, sunblock, hire of a quad bike.
  

7. 
   ADVICE FOR PLANNING A ZERO WASTE EVENT AND ACHIEVING SUCCESS!
   

A Zero Waste initiative at any event requires some basic steps. This section shows some of the steps that WOMAD 2008 found to be the most crucial to the project’s goal of high percentages of waste diverted to either recycling or composting.

1. 
   High-level buy in and integrate waste with ALL aspects of show.
   
2. 
   Importance of friendly volunteers, who actively interact with the public 
   
3. 
   Controlling the types of materials coming on to the site.
   
4. 
   Final sort of all recyclable and biodegradable bags.
   
5. 
   Ability to safely and tidily store rubbish bags during busy periods.
   
6. 
   Simple signage on bins and around the site.
   
7. 
   Don’t forget about backstage rubbish.
   
8. 
   Ensure that contingencies are made for bad weather
   
9. 
   Keep hammering the message home at every opportunity.
   

1. 
   In order for a Zero Waste program to be successful it is VITAL that there is high level buy-in from the event organisers.
   
   1. 
      All managers should be aware of what is happening, so sections of the event are not isolated from waste issues.
      
   2. 
      Decisions will get changed! If there is not regular contact between management and waste management staff, misunderstandings will happen.
      
   3. 
      Without management on board waste efforts will be unsuccessful.
      
   4. 
      That the true cost of waste disposal be taken into account when establishing a Zero Waste budget.
      

2. 
   One of the greatest allies in getting public acceptance is having plenty of volunteers at all bins helping, cajoling, sorting, informing and talking to people.
   
   1. 
      Volunteers to staff the recycling stations and bins behind food tents, and collecting rubbish off the ground or backstage areas.
      
   2. 
      Make volunteers identifiable, uniform etc, make them feel part of a team, get them excited about helping people, get them interacting with the public.
      
   3. 
      Having plenty of volunteers may cause issues with coordination, but will be worth it in the long run, especially if people don’t show up.
      
   4. 
      Volunteers also have a valuable role, if time allows, in pre-sorting the bags before they are collected and taken to the consolidation area.
      
   5. 
      Volunteers’ work is intense, so shifts should be no longer than 4.5 hours, ideally only 3.5 hours.
      
   6. 
      Rosters need to be aligned with the hours of the event to ensure there is coverage for the whole event, as a few empty hours can undo a lot of good work.
      

3. 
   Dealing with waste becomes a lot easier if you can control what comes into the event.
   
   1. 
      ALL food stalls on site should sign contracts stating what they can and cannot use as packaging, plates, glasses and cutlery.
      
   2. 
      Hold bonds back for those that don’t comply.
      
   3. 
      If biodegradables are being sorted make all plates, glasses and cutlery biodegradable, if recycling then make sure all plastic is recyclable.
      
   4. 
      Mixed plastics types are hard to sort, better to keep to ONLY recyclable types.
      

4. 
   No matter what is done for collecting waste, sorting rubbish before leaving site is vital.
   
   1. 
      At minimum select three waste streams to sort; biodegradable (i.e. compostable), recyclable and general rubbish.
      
   2. 
      Cardboard and Glass can become fourth and fifth streams, separated from the other recycling if circumstances permit.
      
   3. 
      Sorting can simply involve; employing one or two people, a sorting table and three skips.
      
   4. 
      The usefulness of this final sort prior to material being combined into final containers for transport off site cannot be overemphasised.
      
   5. 
      A sorting station, onsite but isolated from the public, is ideal. If this is unavailable some form of waste storage area will be required and a sorting area arranged off-site. This is not recommended as it causes double handling.
      

5. 
   It is very important that there is space available to safely and tidily store full rubbish bags at busy times.
   
   1. 
      At busy times, (i.e. 5-8pm in the evenings), bags may fill faster than they can be removed, it is important to be able to change full for empty bags immediately.
      
   2. 
      At no point should a bin or bag be overflowing as this means that the public will use the nearest bag which is likely to be the wrong waste type.
      
   3. 
      The full bags should be able to be stored away from the public until they are able to be removed.
      

6. 
   Signage identifying and directing people to the rubbish bins should be VERY simple and clear.
   
   1. 
      Utilise well known symbols and colours that people will instantly recognise.
      
   2. 
      Identifying which type of rubbish goes into which waste stream is often difficult for the public, lots of help needs to be give to make it VERY EASY for them to work this out QUICKLY.
      
   3. 
      Many people do not understand that biodegradable includes FOOD, so signage needs to make this clear.
      
   4. 
      Try and use actual examples of the different waste streams above each bin, not just pictures or words. 3D examples help as everyone processes this sort of information differently.
      
   5. 
      Ensure good lighting is provided at night times, for public and volunteers to see what they are doing.
      

7. 
   Most of the waste will be generated by the public, but a significant amount comes from behind the scenes too.
   
   1. 
      If there are food stalls there is likely to be significant waste, and volunteers to help stallholders are invaluable.
      
   2. 
      Large amounts of “wet” food waste can be generated that become difficult to handle. Small, 10-20L buckets could be supplied.
      
   3. 
      Behind stages and technical/artist areas will have rubbish too, especially if catered.
      
   4. 
      Make sure this catering also adheres to the general site rules for packaging etc.
      
   5. 
      If these areas are not part of the general waste plan they may cause problems for the sorters.
      
   6. 
      Event setup and take down are also likely to contribute significant amounts of waste. Ensure that systems are in place to cover these aspects of the event too.
      

8. 
   There is always a chance of bad weather.
   
   1. 
      Ensure that there is sufficient cover for the volunteers, for the waste, and for the sorters.
      
   2. 
      Ensure that there are all weather tracks for the collection trolleys.
      
   3. 
      If the weather is fine, consider provision of shade for volunteers.
      

9. 
   Keep the on-site profile of waste management high.
   
   1. 
      Prominent signage, both at the bins and directing people to the bins.
      
   2. 
      Information in the event program.
      
   3. 
      Attitude from the volunteers. This is really important, both to keep the volunteers interested and the public.
      
   4. 
      Regular announcements from the stages.
      
   5. 
      Ensuring media are aware of the efforts and the results.
      

Figure 12: Site ready to go before opening.

8. 
   APPENDICES