Following last year’s successful Peat’s Ridge
Festival, the UNSW Ecoliving Centre is aiming to make this year’s
Festival ecologically better than ever! The 2004 Audit showed the
Festival was overall a sustainable success, but there is always more
work to be done.
Taking
an advisory role, the Ecoliving Centre is aiming for the 2005
Festival to have a 0% waste rate. All waste is dealt with on-site,
including the compacting of aluminum cans for off-site recycling.
Bands playing throughout the Festival will use only ecologically
sustainable forms of energy, primarily through solar power sources.
It is the Solid Waste Management System implemented by the Ecoliving
Centre which is the most impressive.
Seven
individual supervisors will ensure the volunteers and visitors adhere
to the recycling process. With each individual estimated at producing
three litres of waste per day, and the festival running for three
days straight, it is crucial that every individual contributes to the
management system. Four individual bins will separate the waste
on-site, ensuring the efficient management of all waste. Clear
signage and volunteer instructions will ensure visitors place the
relevant waste in the corresponding bin. The four bins will be:
-
Recyclables
– cans, plastics 1 and 2, soft drink bottles and beer cans -
Paper,
cardboard, and newsprint products -
Compost
Products – food waste, utensils -
Other
Garbage.
All
containers will be collected and taken off-site for the recycling
process. Composting however will occur on-site after the completion
of the Festival.
John
Blair from UNSW Faculty of the Built Environment will be overseeing
the implementation of the Solid Waste Management System, in
conjunction with the Ecoliving Centre.
The
Environmental Management System offers a continuous improvement cycle
for future Peat’s Ridge Festivals to come. Hopefully other
festivals around Australia and the world can use this successful
model to make the face of festivals the most ecologically responsible
and sustainable they can be.
For
further information please contact Cameron Little (02) 9398
8838