Strawberry Fields festival is introducing an Australian first of its scale with 100 per cent reusable crockery.
Organiser Tara Benney said this year's initiative to use reusable crockery and creating a system that encourages festival visitors to pick up and return others will significantly reduce the foot print of the festival.
She said the festival was also going completely cashless, creating wristbands that patrons can set up with their payment details.
“The reusable scheme will charge each person a $4 deposit on each item of food or drink they purchase.
“They simply need to return that item after consumption at one of the six drop off locations at the site, to receive the full $4 back.
“We’re essentially providing a free item to customers to completely go reusable.
“It also encourages people to pick up after each other and bring those items to the drop off locations; if someone brings back five plates, we will give them $20 back onto their wristband.”
The festival organisers have also placed water use and recycling as a top priority.
“Last year we converted our toilets to 100 per cent composting,” Ms Benney said.
“That saved a quarter of a million litres of water and we will look to implement it again.
“We also expect to be washing over 25,000 items of crockery a day in our industrial washing station.
“So to combat all the water use we’ve attached filters to the drain pipes and plan to use the water again for other measures.”
The event will also be implementing subsidised bus routes from major cities to provide a more sustainable means of transport, as well as charging a vehicle fee for anyone driving, to 100 per cent offset their carbon foot print.
For more information on the event visit.
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