Banging the DRUM for zero waste to landfill at Bella 2015

Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, in partnership with Pat Munro Waste Services and the Carbon CLEVER initiative at The Highland Council, is aiming to become the first zero-waste to landfill festival in Scotland in 2015.

Last year, the festival generated 100 tons of waste – that’s about the weight of 80 Mini Coopers! This year the festival will be aiming high and working towards zero waste to land fill. Pat Munro Waste Services together with the organisers at Belladrum and the Carbon CLEVER initiative at The Highland Council have a plan of action which they hope will help them reach the goal. This includes calling on all festival goers to play their part, disposing of their waste responsibly at the festival and taking away all unwanted items.

Veronica Symonds, Pat Munro Waste Manager, commented “Here at Pat Munro Waste Services we are up for the challenge but of course we will need the help and support of all the festival goers, so we plan to get the message out as far and as wide as we can during the lead up to and at the festival. Where possible, we are hoping that everyone will join us and bang the drum for zero waste at Bella.”

A recent initiative has seen Pat Munro, invite pupils from Alness Academy to design labels to go on some of the waste bins at Belladrum to help get the message across to festival goers to recycle as much as possible at the festival.

Stephen Carr, Principal Policy Officer – Climate Change at The Highland Council, said: “Belladrum provides a fantastic opportunity for festival goers to be Carbon CLEVER Super Heroes and make Bella the most environmentally-conscious festival in Europe. We are excited to be working with Pat Munro and the organisers in trying to make Belladrum a zero waste to landfill festival, which is a great ambition and demonstrates real leadership.”

Sam Barker from Belladrum, Tartan Heart Festival said, “We have such an amazing family of festival goers at Belladrum, and each year the biggest feedback we receive is for more ways to get involved with recycling on site and keeping Bella tidy. It’s amazing that everyone is so proactive – and we are always looking to empower everyone onsite to help if they want to. Our ‘Green’ partnerships this year, along with the ambitious targets are definitely a step in the right direction. We even have a team of Environmental Super Heroes, provided by our partner’s, who will be patrolling the festival every day rewarding festival goers who demonstrate good waste behaviour and summoning those who don’t to their Carbon Court, where they will be encouraged to change their ways by a judge!”

Follow #patmunro@bella for the latest updates on this exciting campaign.