Sustainability guide for events

Waste

Reduce waste

Write a waste management plan for your event to reduce its environmental impact. The best option is to reduce waste. Where that is not possible, reuse or recycle products.

Have you:

• considered the following steps to reduce waste at your event?
  • ban single use plastics 
  • go paperless 
  • donate leftover food and use food waste recycling if possible
  • provide water bottle refilling stations 
  • Use website for local water refilling locations Refill City to Sea website
  • encouraged attendees to bring reusable coffee cups 
• arranged for reusable items (as below) to be made available at your event
  • cups and glasses 
  • crockery and cutlery 
  • banners 
  • tents and marquees 
• planned for recycling facilities to be at your event? Do these facilities accommodate all waste types (e.g. plastic, paper, glass, metal, food?) 
• explored all possibilities to reduce waste and recycle items?

Transport

Use public transport

Encourage the use of public transport at your event.

The borough has great public transport links for more information see:

• Metrobus website,
• National Rail website and
• cycling routes (Surrey Council Council website)

Have you:

• discouraged private cars from your event?
• provided attendees with information and encouragement for use of public transport to/from your event?
• provided safe cycle storage facilities at your event?
• considered providing a shuttle service to your event? Is this shuttle service using only electric vehicles?  
• explored all possibilities to discourage the use of private cars?

Reducing the impact on nature

Environment

Make sure you leave the site in the same (or better) condition as before the event, by identifying vulnerable and important natural features and putting in place measures to prevent harm; for example, avoid polluting bodies of water on the event site, identify and avoid vulnerable species’ habitats by liasing with the Greenspaces Team, run a litter pick after the event.           

Have you identified the following vulnerable environmental features of your event site:

• bodies of water
• animal species on site 
• plant species on site  
• areas of special scientific interest

Have you:

• assessed and mitigated the vulnerabilities of these features?
• assessed and managed the impact of light and noise pollution on these features?
• protected bodies of water at the event  site by avoiding run-off, pollution and ensuring suitable toilet facilities are provided?
• arranged a litter pick to follow your event?
• removed the need for any environmentally harmful items?
• explored all management options to protect the natural  environment of the event site?

Power at your event

Where mains power is not an option use generators that are regularly serviced to reduce emissions and use cleaner fuels where possible e.g. biofuels.

Have you organised:

• an energy source for your event? Is this powered by renewable energy?
• plug-in points for vendors at your event? Are these powered by renewable energy?

Food

• The more sustainable food sources are:
  • locally sourced
  • organic
  • meat-free
  • seasonal
• Compost any leftover food that cannot be donated or use food waste recycling
• Don't use any single-use plastics
• Ask possible vendors to achieve as many of these as possible
• Renewable energy? Have you explored all possibilities to provide this?

Sustainable contractors

Use contractors and suppliers who have sustainability policies and targets.

Carbon offsetting

It is not always possible to reduce the carbon emissions of an event entirely. In such cases, you can offset your event’s carbon using verified carbon offset schemes.