News

WOMADelaide announced today that its 2015 festival diverted 98% of all waste away from landfill, as the festival continues the strive to become a completely zero waste-to-landfill festival.

Working with Adelaide company Adelaide Green Clean, WOMADelaide again further reduced its environmental impact through targeted sustainability measures across the park; including 100% compostable cups, plates, crockery and serviettes, the inclusion of additional segmented recycling and organic waste bins across the festival site, and on-site waste sorting stations for collected waste.

“WOMADelaide has always strived to be an industry leader and facilitate methods that lead towards leaving a minimal environmental footprint,” said Festival Director Ian Scobie. “Diverting 98% of waste away from landfill this year is a great result for the festival and into 2016 and beyond we will continue to strive to create a zero waste-to-landfill event.”

Adelaide Green Clean Managing Director, Jordan Walsh, highlighted the importance of feedback from festival attendees as paramount to the continued success of the initiatives being undertaken at WOMADelaide.

"We received a lot of positive feedback from festival goers this years and we will take on many of those comments and suggestions as we continue to improve the waste management at WOMADelaide” said Mr Walsh.

The collected waste from the 2015 WOMADelaide festival is converted to organic mulch by Adelaide business Jeffries, who, in collaboration with Adelaide Green Clean and WOMADelaide, will deliver 11 tonnes of Jeffries Recover Mulch to the Botanic Gardens of South Australia free of charge.

Botanic Gardens of South Australia Director, Stephen Forbes, said WOMADelaide’s 2015 festival was a commendable environmental achievement, proving its zero waste-to-landfill target was on track.

“WOMADelaide and Botanic Park have had a strong partnership ever since the first festival was held here in 1992,” Mr Forbes said. “The fact that 11 tonnes of waste from this year’s festival will be returned, as mulch, to help Botanic Park’s precious tree collection continue to thrive will only strengthen that partnership.”

Sustainable waste management is an important part of WOMADelaide’s and the Botanic Gardens of South Australia’s operating considerations, and Adelaide Green Clean works with the festival and festival patrons to further develop the ‘zero waste-to-landfill’ program by diverting waste away from landfill and into a sustainable pathway.