Event waste and recycling guide

Pre event planning - design out the waste first where possible.

Work with stakeholders, suppliers, and potential participants to produce a list of what types of waste will be generated at the event.

Is there anything you can do to reduce or prevent it?

Ask stall holders about their waste, and any contracts they may already have in place. If they will have boxes and packaging waste at the event, could they take this back with them for recycling/disposal through their own contracts?

Request that stall holders avoid single use/disposable items wherever possible, discourage items such as:

Sauce sachets
Individual milk/sugar/coffee sachets

From October 2023 the following items will be banned in Wales:

Plastic plates
Plastic cutlery
Plastic drink stirrers
Plastic drinking straws (except for health and disability reasons)
Plastic-stemmed cotton buds
Plastic sticks for balloons
Polystyrene cups
Polystyrene takeaway food containers

Instead:

Promote the use of refillable or larger recyclable containers.
Use reusable cups, glasses, spoons, and straws where possible.
Encourage people to bring their own where appropriate.
Explore marketing opportunities for selling reusable cups or portable/travel cutlery sets at the event.

Consider a deposit and return scheme eg for reusable beer glasses, to avoid single use.

Hiring crockery and glasses may be an option for some events. Some supermarkets offer a hire service locally, or search online for local hire businesses.

Set up a water refill station(s) and encourage participants to bring their own refillable bottle. For larger events, Welsh Water may be able to assist.

Will there be food sold or brought to the event? – any food recycling is only possible when there is no packaging mixed in with it. Work with any stall holders to educate customers about this if you are having food recycling bins. If people are bringing their own food you can encourage them to have a waste free lunch and possibly take any waste home with them.

Did you know Balloon releases and sky lanterns are discouraged and even banned in some areas of Carmarthenshire? you can find more information on our Environmental Health webpage.