A Zero Waste Event (or "ZeeWee" as it has been nicknamed) is one in which event organizers plan ahead to reduce solid waste from the event, reuse various elements such as banners, and set up Zero-Waste Stations for those recyclable and compostable materials such as paper cups, food scraps, and plastic water bottles that are generated by the event. ZeeWees can range from large scale sports events to weddings and parties.
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Background
As sustainability becomes ever more accepted as a concept within organizations and communities across the nation, the idea of Zero Waste Events is spreading. Additionally, the steady expansion of recycling and commercial composting infrastructure makes it possible to offer recycling and food composting at events in many locations. Increasingly Zero Waste Events are sharing best practices and developing new ways to divert event materials from landfills.
Strategy
ZeeWee's utilize many if not all of the following strategies.
Front-end waste prevention
Reuse of event equipment
Recycling event materials
2012 Olympics
When the bid was submitted for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, LOCOG, The London 2012 Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, pledged not just to host the biggest sporting event in the world but also to stage the first truly sustainable Games. Central to this was an ambitious target to send zero waste from Games-time venues directly to landfill – something that no Games has attempted before. In February 2012 an initiative was launched to share the lessons learnt from delivering a zero waste games with the wider waste and events community.