Time to #justakeithome
Masses of reusable items being left behind at music events!
A great night with Matchbox20 but a big mess left behind
Music events are fun, but what you bring with you and leave behind can have a big impact on people's experience at an event, and on the planet.
We’ve all heard about the problem of single use tents at festivals, even in NZ, but what about single use picnic blankets?!
Jump back to March 2024, and Matchbox 20 are playing at the Bowl of Brooklands in New Plymouth, a great night had by all! Over 100 volunteers spent their evening helping concert goers divert their waste from landfill. But the job was not done yet!
The following day the volunteers had a massive clean-up ahead of them. They did an amazing job and massive thanks to them for the huge effort!
Were there any treasures to be found? Oh yes! Over 104kgs in reusable items! That’s right, not just recyclable, but reusable (there’s a big difference). These included picnic blankets, tarpaulins, rain ponchos and more.
What really stood out was the number of picnic blankets left behind! Piles of them, all abandoned to a life of who knows what. So of course we rescued them!
Discarded blankets waiting to find new homes
What are we going to do with them? We’re getting them ready for their new life and planning to sell them at the next Seaside Market on Sunday 5th May, from 9am till 2.30pm (also a zero-waste event).
We hope their new homes will cherish them, and they’ll never be left behind again! There will also be some available for purchase at The Envirohub next to Brooklands Zoo in Pukekura Park after 5th May.
So along with Lexi our Zero Waste Programme Manager and Suzy our Assistant Project Lead Zero Waste Events, we’re wanting to spread the word about ways you can reduce your waste at music events and #justakeithome
Lexi and Suzy with some of the blankets, ponchos and tarpaulins - to be re-homed
#justakeithome - Our top tips on how to reduce your waste at music events:
Get familiar with what will be provided at the concert
And be critical of what you really need to take with you. The less you bring, the less you'll need to deal with at the end, possibly under the duress of a few too many drinks, post-concert plans and time constraints.
Check the weather
If it’s going to be a wet one, take a bag to put those drenched items in to take home.
Check conditions of entry
And if the event allows, bring an empty reusable water bottle which can be refilled for free at the water stations provided.
**At many events glass and metal bottles are not allowed, so check event guidelines as your bottle may need to be plastic.Avoid more packaging
By buying and bringing the your food in reusable bags and plastic containers (no glass allowed at most events). You might even want to bring home baked food and branded food items (with easily recyclable packaging) can be brought as well. Just make sure the packaging ends up in the recycling bin.
Keep your concert 'basecamp’ clean
Tidy as you go! Research shows that people are more likely to litter in an already littered location and therefore more likely to keep a clean area clean.
Pack up and take it all home to be reused.
Anything you leave behind is rubbish and needs to be dealt with. If you really don't want items like your picnic blanket or poncho anymore, give them to a charity or find someone who would like to use them.
**Did you know the amount of waste left behind at music events can affect future ticket prices?!
Even if you only do some of these things you will make a difference to our planet and the people around you (nobody wants to party in squalor). We’ve got this!
If you would like to be involved in volunteering in Taranaki, please sign up here and you will receive regular opportunities in our beautiful region. Stay connected if you would like to help - we need all of you!
Learn more about:
Alternative Recycling at the Junction (recycling wall, battery recycling and Tetrapak recycling)
You will also find lots of information about reducing, reusing and recycling rubbish here
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