How to Minimise Waste From Your Events

The events industry has a waste problem. The average conference attendee produces more than 1.89kg of waste a day – and almost 100 times that in the resulting CO₂ emissions. With an increasing need for sustainability, it’s time to look for ways to reduce waste at events. 

Studies show that waste contributes 10-30% of an event’s carbon footprint. The recently published report from the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative breaks down five key action areas for the events industry, with production and waste as one of the top five alongside energy, travel, logistics and, food waste. 

Reducing and even eliminating event waste is a necessary step on the road to achieving Net Zero by 2050, but it can be hard to know where to start. That’s where this guide comes in – with facts, figures and practical advice on how to make a difference, waste-free events can slowly but surely become the norm.

From national conferences to team training days, waste at an event seems inevitable, but does it have to be? Let’s take a closer look at waste in the events industry. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Why you should care about your event waste
• How to reduce waste at your events
• Questions to ask venues
• Waste-free venues that are making a difference

Why you should care about your event waste

We’re all familiar with the 3Rs - reduce, reuse, recycle. Beyond that, here’s why production and waste management should be on your sustainability agenda.

Waste not, want not

From paper-based event marketing and collateral to plastic bottles used by guests on the day of an event, waste saturates the world of conferencing, meetings and networking. It’s not an outlier, either - globally, 1 million plastic bottles are purchased every minute and 5 trillion plastic bags are used every year. 

Figures show that almost 50% of the plastic we produce is single-use - and roughly 79% of that ends up in landfills. The nature of waste is causing a significant impact on the environment. While events are largely a positive thing, there are crucial steps to be taken in reducing their environmental impact.  

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‘1 million plastic bottles are purchased every minute and 5 trillion plastic bags are used every year.’ 

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Plastic vs paper

When it comes to sustainability and waste, not all materials are made equally. Whereas paper generally takes at most 6 weeks to decompose, cardboard can take around 2 months and plastic can take up to centuries to decompose, depending on the type of product. 

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How to reduce waste at your events

Reducing and, ultimately, eliminating waste at all the events you book can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. 

From the lead-up of an event to the day itself, here are a few practical steps you can take on your way to becoming fully waste-free. 

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1. Rethink waste 

Thinking cyclical and not linear when it comes to a product’s lifecycle is key to reducing waste. Whether that’s using recycled materials, reusing products or switching to sustainable materials like bamboo or beeswax. Even recycling paper makes a significant difference – for every tonne of paper recycled, 17 trees can be saved.

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2. Go paperless

Switching from paper-based event collateral or simply reducing the volume of collateral produced reduces event emissions by at least 10%, according to the University of Michigan.

Plenty of suppliers now cater towards paperless branding and collateral, with QR codes replacing business cards or flyers. Some suppliers, like Garment Printing, also make a point of using recyclable fabrics and committing zero waste to landfill companies.

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3. Try interactive venues

With an increase of interactive and immersive venues,  such as the immersive art gallery Frameless, event decorations are no longer a necessity. Even hosting virtual events instead of in-person events, avoids emissions that are comparable to an area space roughly 48 times the size of New York. 

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Questions to ask venues

1) Do you have any processes in place to measure waste?

2) Do you have recycling facilities?

3) Do you use sustainable materials? 

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Do you have any processes in place to measure waste?

Understanding whether a venue measures its waste levels is a good starting point to decide whether you’d like to host an event there. 

Do you have recycling facilities?

Make sure you have an idea of what recycling facilities are available – and what materials can be recycled. 

Do you use sustainable materials? 

Bamboo, wood, hemp and beeswax are just a few examples of sustainable materials that can easily replace plastic and paper. 

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Venue spotlight

We work with a number of venues that are prioritising waste reduction and are on their way to becoming waste-free. Next time you’re planning an event, keep these in mind.

ZSL London Zoo – A vibrant, multi-space venue that works hard to eliminate waste and extend the lifecycle of materials. Adopting practices such as reusing materials, only using sustainable and FSC materials such as wood and bamboo, and composting off-site, are great examples of how this venue works with the environment and not against it.

The Londoner – Situated in Leicester Square, this boutique hotel has achieved an Excellent BREEAM rating thanks to its innovative solutions that include digital keys and a waste station that significantly reduces the carbon footprint of each and every guest. 

‍Friends House – By recycling all their waste, removing single-use plastic and offering recycling stations on every floor, this Euston-based event space is well on its way to achieving its ‘zero waste to landfill’ objective.