The Rise of Data and Technology to Encourage Returns and Reuse at Festivals

Festivals are a great place to have fun with great music, company, and food, but they result in hundreds of thousands of waste that last in the environment longer than the event itself. This is creating the demand for more sustainable measures to be put in place, with the clean-up of sites taking up to six weeks.

Now, we've seen a shift in festivals swapping to reusable cups to lessen the impact they're having on the environment, but more challenges appear in terms of logistics, operations, and waste management. However, by utilising data and technology, festival organisers can streamline their transitions, track their progress, and make informed decisions to maximise efficiency and minimise environmental impact.

Plastic at Festivals

From cups and food trays to cutlery and packaging, single-use disposables are used for convenience, especially at events that do not last for a long time. On average, a festival generates an average 2.8Kg of waste per person per day. With thousands of attendees, these numbers add up, meaning that festivals are generating a large amount of waste.

Waste is left in many different formats, such as cups, food containers, tents, cutlery, and more. Despite most packaging being labelled as recyclable, many often end up in the local environment, landfills, and enter waterways. This is due to contamination and a lack of effective recycling facilities available.

Single-use has been a long-standing issue at festivals, with the ease of use and convenience making them the go-to option for festival organisers, despite their impact on the environment. The challenge lies in the transition to reusable solutions, whilst maintaining operational efficiency and attendee satisfaction.

How Data and Technology Can Transform Festival Waste

While many festivals are eager to adopt more sustainable practices, scaling reusable systems across large, fast-paced environments is no easy task. There are many steps involved and considerations to be made. This is where data and technology can step in, automating jobs, tracking products and impact, and allowing operations to be optimised and scaled.

Collect Data on Reuse and Operations

Technologies like QR codes, RFID tags, and IoT devices can be embedded into reuse systems, allowing for insights into festival operations. The data collected doesn't just count returns and reuse, but it can:

• Measure environmental impact, such as plastic and carbon emissions saved.

• Highlight inefficiencies in the system and inform decisions to improve operations.

• View and manage stock levels, ensuring that no bar or vendor runs out throughout the festival.

• Measure how attendees are interacting with reuse.

Instead of relying on estimates or post-event reports, organisers get real-time insights that let them adapt quickly to avoid issues.

Reducing Over-Ordering and Waste

It is known that many festivals overstock on their single-use items "just to be safe", but this results in unused inventory and unnecessary emissions. However, data and technology enable festivals to forecast their demand more precisely and reduce surplus supply. Not only does this reduce plastic waste and carbon emissions, but saves money, which can be spent elsewhere.

With reusable packaging, each year, festivals will only need to order what they may have lost as a result of damage or people taking them home. Technology can show how many they have in stock, so organisers have an idea of how many they will need to replace.

Engaging and Rewarding Attendees

Getting your attendees involved in your reuse system is VERY important. Not only does it encourage them to return their reusable product, but provides insights into the impact and prompts them to think more about their actions. With technology, organisers can incentivise the returns of their reusable products using deposits or rewards.

Engaging customers is as easy as scanning a QR code, no downloads needed.

Use technology to reward customers for returning their reusable product to the festival, to make sustainability into something fun and rewarding. For example, attendees could earn loyalty points, discounts, or merchandise to encourage returns. Using real-time impact data, you can demonstrate to attendees the impact of their actions, making their efforts visible and building a sense of participation and community, which is crucial for driving long-term behaviour change.

Circulayo's Approach

We developed and designed technology that makes reuse, trackable, and scalable for events of all sizes, which is especially what's needed for festivals. Our technology solutions include:

• Flow Platform: A Data analytics platform that tracks each reusable product in circulation, collecting data at each touchpoint, calculating environmental savings, and allowing you to make informed decisions with reports.

• AppNostic: An engagement platform that turns reusable products into touchpoints for attendees to interact with features such as rewards, promotions, nearest return points, and more just by scanning the QR code on their packaging.

• Tap & Return: A Deposit Return System (DRS) which allows for simple and secure returns of reusable products with a deposit refund, removing friction from the reuse journey.

Our approach to reuse is that it should be easy, if not easier, than single-use. We focus on technology that not only improves operations in the background, but also is simple on the surface for employees and attendees to use without changing habits and behaviour.

The combination of product tracking, behaviour insights, and digital engagement, we support festivals close the reuse loop from start to finish. Whether it's a one-day event or a multi-day field festival, our technology is designed to scale and slot into existing operations.

Reuse System in Use at Festivals

While the theory behind reuse is strong, its real-world application proves that, powered by the right technology, reuse can be applied anywhere. We've supported festivals of all sizes to transition from single-use to scalable reuse systems, without compromising on attendee experience. Here's how it worked in a festival setting:

Sheffield Food Festival

During their three-day event, the Sheffield Food Festival wanted to reduce its reliance on single-use packaging without creating disruption.

QR codes can be attached to any reusable product.

At the festival, we utilised our reuse bin, AppNostic, and Flow Platform to ensure that the use of reusable cups went smoothly. Customers were able to return their cups at any return point around the area and exit/entry points. They could view the location of the return points via the AppNostic. From here they could also complete a survey with a chance to win free tickets to future events.

The Flow Platform was used to view the return rates, view stock levels, and environmental savings, providing the organisers with feedback on system performance. We saw a 90% return rate, which saw savings of 383Kg of carbon and 103Kg of plastic. It gave attendees a chance to engage with reuse in a way that felt convenient and rewarding.

Best Practices for Technology and Data

When implementing technology and data-driven strategies to support the transition to reusable items at festivals, it is crucial to establish clear goals and metrics for monitoring progress. A successful transition takes planning, the right tools, and a clear understanding of the attendees and operations. Based on our experience working with festivals, here are some best practices to keep in mind:

• Define your goals and what you are aiming for.

• Choose technology that works for your event.

• Track everything with data to report and improve.

• Engage attendees before, during and after your event.

• Make the process simple and intuitive.

• Incentivise the experience for attendees

The shift to reusables doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right tech, the right data, and the right support, it can be simple, scalable, and seamless.

At Circulayo, we help festivals of all sizes build smarter, cleaner operations that reduce waste and improve the attendee experience. Whether you're planning your first reuse system or looking to scale what you've already started, we’re here to help.

Contact us or book a time slot to discuss your next steps in reuse!