The ‘Zero waste events: a 2020 vision’ initiative challenges the UK’s events industry to realise the economic and environmental benefits of tackling waste.
The industry’s current value of £36 billion, according to Britain for Events, is projected to rise to £48 billion by 2020. Wrap says, however, that on average just 15% of waste from events is being recycled, with a large amount going direct to landfill.
The so-called Events Industry Roadmap has been developed by Wrap alongside the event industry as part of its work on the European Pathway to Zero Waste project (EPOW). The roadmap draws on lessons learned from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, creating a series of steps that the industry can take to achieve sustainable events.
The roadmap sets out a vision for how the industry can achieve zero waste to landfill from the events sector by 2020; challenges the industry to consider how it can work more in partnership across the whole supply chain to reduce waste; and highlights the steps that need to be considered when preparing for and delivering a zero waste event.
Liz Goodwin, chief executive of Wrap, said: "The 2012 Olympics showed what could be achieved by a clear commitment, by trying to prevent waste and manage it sustainably. Making waste prevention part of an event’s plan can deliver significant savings for businesses large and small. It will benefit all, from local community activities right up to large-scale UK events."
Lord de Mauley, Minister for Resource Management, said: "The UK has a rich and diverse heritage of music festivals, sporting events and cultural activities running throughout the year. These bring considerable economic benefits to our towns and cities through domestic spending and by attracting tourists to our shores.
"An industry worth £36 billion can make significant savings by tackling waste and reducing the impact waste overheads have on the bottom line. The industry can use this roadmap to improve their business returns through simple, collective effort."
The roadmap is relevant to all sectors of the industry, from event organisers, managers and contractors, venues, corporate sponsors, local authorities, waste contractors, hospitality and catering companies to construction firms and builders.
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