The best way to reduce waste at events is to avoid it.
As well as providing water refill and wash stations, encourage:
- attendees to bring their own containers, and advertise this in your pre-publicity
- vendors to provide reusable utensils for seated customers rather than disposables, or providing food that does not require utensils
- donating unsold food that is suitable for consumption to a food rescue organisation
- giving props or materials to second-hand stores or a school
Working with vendors to use reusable cups and plates (serviceware), or packaging that can be composted or recycled in Wellington City is also beneficial.
Packaging
Reusables are the preferred option for containers. If this is not possible, then the next best option is to use compostable packaging. For detailed information on how to minimise waste from food packaging, refer to the event packaging guidelines (1.1MB PDF).
Avoid using recyclable food containers as they need to be clean to be recycled. If recycling is very dirty, it is considered contaminated and must be landfilled. Sell drinks in containers that can be recycled (cans, glass, plastics 1,2 and 5).
For some packaging there is little to no recycling or composting options. Some examples include:
- Tin foil
- Plastics number 3, 4, 6, and 7
- Compostable packaging that is not BioGro certified
- Dyed or bleached napkins
- Greaseproof paper
For smaller events, options for reusable resources include:
- Newtown Community Centre’s Wash Against Waste, which provides reusable crockery, cutlery and cloth napkins.
- FillGood, which provides reusable serviceware like cups and plates for events.
For official advice on reusables, refer to the information sheet on the Reuse Aotearoa website (1.5MB PDF).
Rubbish and recycling bins
Research shows people will only walk a short distance to throw things away. Make sure your bin stations are only about 20 metres apart, so people don’t have to walk far to use them.
We have wheelie bins with coloured hoods for organics, mixed recycling, glass recycling and rubbish you can borrow for free to use at events held in Wellington City. Learn more about free bins for events.
Compost
Capital Compost accepts food scraps and the following products if they are BioGro certified:
- Unbleached paper products, such as bowls, plates, napkins or paper bags
- Wooden or bamboo cutlery
- Some sugarcane, bagasse, and bamboo products
Only authorised collectors can take items to Capital Compost. They are:
- Organic Waste Management
- Kai to Compost (EnviroNZ)
Bioplastics, which are a clear hard plastic polylactide (PLA), are not accepted.
Talking with vendors
Making vendors aware of your expectations is crucial to achieving your waste diversion target. Use the following example letter to help you write to vendors and stall holders prior to your event. As this is only a template, please cater to your individual event.
Example letter to vendor (24KB DOCX)
Contact us
We can help educate your team on the actions you can take to minimise waste at your event. Email us on waste.education@wcc.govt.nz