New Zealand’s festival favourite Bay Dreams is an annual music festival that features a diverse lineup of international and local talent. Closed Loop has partnered with Trademark Live to provide our sustainable waste management services at the popular music festival since 2019.

Over the years, Closed Loop has maintained a recycling and repurposing rates above 75% and have improved year-on-year from our ongoing sustainability recommendations and continuous involvement with the event and their organisers


 

Sustainable achievements, year after year

decrease in waste production
material streams
avg. repurpose rate

Years of solid results

Music festivals generate a lot of waste, from beer cans to food packaging. To ensure events like Bay Dreams are enjoyed by people and the planet, Closed Loop hand-sort all waste that enters the event.

Over the past 3 events, more than 77% of waste has been repurposed. This includes making compost from food waste and food packaging for use as home and commercial compost.

In 2023, the event experienced unexpected weather changes which saw a drop in our improving repurposing rate. Wild and wet weather contaminated waste with mud including single-use plastic ponchos. Where we could, we collected and recycled single-use ponchos through our soft plastics stream. 

Amongst many other recommendations, Closed Loop’s post-event sustainability recommendations included highlighting the effect that weather can have on an event’s waste and the importance of communicating and implementing sustainable wet weather practices.

 

Repurposing and recycling rates YoY

 

Year Waste generated # of material streams Repurposing rate
2023 116.65m³ 10 74.3%
2021 143m³ 10 81%
2020 286m³ 10 77.9%

*There was no event in 2020

Material streams

Waste was separated into a range of waste streams such as the below. From soft plastics to separating the different colours of glass, our team are diligent in separating all waste to capture it’s value.

Cardboard

Collected and recycled into new paper products and packaging locally.

Plastics 1's, 2's & 5's

Bailed and recycled into new rigid plastic items locally and overseas.

Organics & compostables

Food waste and certain compostable food packaging was composted into compost for home and commercial use.

Aluminium cans

Collected, compacted, bailed and recycled into other aluminium products locally and overseas.

Paper cups

Collected and recycled locally into saveBOARD, a low carbon building material.

Soft plastics

Soft plastics, including some single-use ponchos used due to wet weather were collected and recycled locally into saveBOARD, a low carbon building material.

Green glass

Glass was separated into colours to keep it in it’s highest value. Glass was recycled into new glass products locally.

Clear glass

Glass was separated into colours to keep it in it’s highest value. Glass was recycled into new glass products locally.

Brown glass

Glass was separated into colours to keep it in it’s highest value. Glass was recycled into new glass products locally.

See how we achieve epic repurposing rates:

As a part of the Sustainable Events Alliance, and leaders in providing holistic circular economy solutions for events and venues, we proudly work with like-minded clients.

We think long-term: let's talk about your waste

Sustainable waste management
Name
Name
First
Last
Maximum upload size: 52.43MB
Maximum upload size: 52.43MB
Start Over