Waste management & tanker services for festivals
Summer is just around the corner. For some, that means holidays on the beach or major sporting events, for others it’s the problem of how to occupy the kids while the schools are closed for several weeks.
But there is a large group of people for whom summer represents the chance to escape the daily grind in a different way. They are prepared to take their chances on the British weather and join thousands of others camping in a field in order to attend one of the many music festivals held in the country each year.
Whether it’s a small event like the Lindisfarne Festival held within sight of Holy Island (maximum 8,000 campers) or a huge affair such as Glastonbury (official capacity 210,000), the logistical problems organisers face remain much the same. And that includes how to deal with the enormous quantities of waste generated by those both attending and performing.
Waste at festivals comes in three main types: general waste, waste for recycling and the waste that needs to be removed and disposed of from the many temporary toilets installed for the benefit of festival-goers.
Handling all that waste in a responsible and professional way requires the services of an experienced and well-organised festival waste management company, especially when you consider that many of these festivals rightly want to be seen as taking their environmental responsibilities seriously.
Common waste concerns at festivals
It is astonishing just how much waste can accumulate at a festival – although perhaps we shouldn’t be so surprised when we consider that:
- The attendance at world music festival Womad (40,000) is roughly equivalent to the population of Great Yarmouth
- The attendance at the Isle of Wight festival (58,000) is roughly equivalent to the population of Gravesend
- The attendance at Glastonbury is only slightly less than the population of Wolverhampton
A lot of that waste is going to be in the form of materials used for food and drink, some of which can be recycled, but much of which unfortunately cannot. Plenty of clearly marked waste bins and containers right across the site – but especially near food outlets – are therefore essential to make it as easy as possible for the rubbish collected to be separated into its different streams, such as plastic, paper and cardboard, food waste and general waste.
One of the main waste issues is that of dealing with the human waste produced by those many thousands of festival-goers. To give you an idea of how much we’re talking about, it is estimated that Glastonbury produces over 700,000 gallons every year – that’s enough to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool.
Cesspit emptying for festivals and events
Festival toilets are essentially just large cesspits, so the process of emptying and cleaning them is basically the same – it’s just that you have to do it at all hours of the day and night, often with people in various states of mind staggering about and generally getting in the way.
And staying on top of managing the toilets is really important. With that many people, there is a very real health risk – both to the festival-goers at the time and nearby residents after it’s all over – should that waste find its way into the soil or local watercourses.
Naturally, those responsible for festival waste management, especially liquid waste and cesspit emptying, should be able to demonstrate the right experience, licences and qualifications to do the job safely and effectively. They also need the right equipment, the sort that can do the job quickly and efficiently with as little disturbance to nearby campers and revellers as possible.
How Need a Tanker can support your festival
Here at Need a Tanker, we’re equipped to deal with all kinds of liquid waste management and septic tank or cesspit emptying for domestic and commercial customers, including festivals and other outdoor events.
Our large fleet of modern tankers, combined with decades of experience in the waste management industry and all the necessary licences and accreditations, means we’re the ideal solution for your event, wherever it is being held in the UK.
If you want to find out more about our waste tanker services, or discover how we can help your festival or other outdoor events with its liquid waste, then please get in touch with our team today.