Plastic free festivals
Disposable plastic plates and glasses were a familiar sight before and during the pandemic, but WEG is working with Winterbourne Down Carnival and local community halls to take them off the menu.
Disposable plastic is made from oil, contributing to climate change. As well as that, a discarded plastic bottle can take up to 450 years to break down in landfill – that’s as long a period of time as when Queen Elizabeth 1st was on the throne!
Thanks to a grant from UWE Bristol and the Quartet Foundation, the Carnival committee has worked with Winterbourne and Frome Valley Environmental Group to buy new recycling bins for future carnivals. Along with better signposting, upcoming events aim to reduce landfill waste so that more materials can be utilised again.
Even better than recycling is to not use disposable plastic at all. The Carnival has purchased reusable plastic cups for future festivals, so stallholders can rent out glasses for a deposit – rather than contributing to landfill.
Two local village halls (All Saints and St Michael’s Rooms) also have new ‘Party Packs’ to use – a box of plates, cups, and jugs ready to cater for up to 40 children at a party. The new boxes are available with hall hire and aim to reduce the amount of needless waste thrown away.