Your low-waste event
It’s great that you are thinking about reducing your event waste early on! While we can't pay for or provide waste servicing or recycling wheelie bins, we can provide advice! If you follow the tips in the guides below, you’ll be able to reduce your overall waste, and there’s also some great info about choosing a waste company to service your event.
Planning a small event
(under 500 people)?
Guide coming soon
Planning a large event
(over 500 people)?
Guide coming soon
In addition to the guide, check out this series of videos made by large event waste minimisation specialist ‘Beyond the Bin’.
They walk you through all steps of planning for and actioning an event waste minimisation plan.
Our school would like to hold a big whānau day in the park – what kind of approval do we need from Council?
Ka rawe! You can find out more info about organising and hosting an event in Waipā on our main Council website.
We’ve also got more ways we can assist you to reduce your event waste – keep reading!
School Galas
We are so lucky in Waipā to have Cambridge Primary School who are inspirational in hosting large - yet very low-waste - school galas.
Their annual gala is a hugely popular community event. In 2021, it attracted 1500 people, raised $12,000, and only created 1.5 black bags (60L) of waste. That is outstanding! They have kindly allowed us to share some of their ideas and photos in the Zero Waste School Gala Guide, so you have the opportunity to learn from the best. Thanks Cambridge Primary School!
Borrow, recycle & return kit
Are you a school or community group in Waipā wanting to recycle at your school gala or small event? Waipā District Council can help!
Our waste minimisation kit, which is free to borrow and return, includes covers for wheelie bins to tell your school whānau what goes where, and flags so that gala goers know where your waste minimisation station is. We also have covers for your normal playground/park rubbish bins to help you control the waste flow at your event.
You will need to arrange their own bins and waste company to remove the recycling and rubbish after the event and can use our kit to ensure the right stuff goes in the right bins
Why should we think about reusable options for events? Can’t we just compost all the plates and cutlery?
There are a couple of issues when it comes to using ‘compostable’ service ware. Firstly, there are no New Zealand standards for these materials, so some will break down and others will not. They also need to be collected separately and often need to be commercially composted, however people usually dispose of these items in the general rubbish bin. In this case, they’ll be sent to landfill where they cannot break down, creating methane. If you’re keen to know more, there’s a whole lot of good info here from composters themselves.
Waste signage for small events
WasteMINZ have created a series of bi-lingual posters to help people separate their waste – these might be particularly handy if you’re running a small event.
Download, print and attach these standardised posters to your recycling, rubbish and food waste bins to help you and your guests sort your waste correctly.
| Plastics recycling | Cardboard recycling |
| Glass recycling | Paper recycling |
| Food scraps | Paper and cardboard recycling |
| General rubbish (landfill) | Paper towels and napkins |
Mug library
We have a large collection of ceramic cups which are available to borrow for free. Re-use beats single-use every time!
If you’d like to avoid a handful of landfill at your small event, please contact us at: waste.min@waipadc.govt.nz
Low-waste kids parties
Nicola from Mainstream Green has been to plenty of kids parties over the years alongside her two young children.
Check out this video to hear her ideas on how to reduce the environmental impact of your next celebration.
Did you know that some of our community groups have put together kids party kits, and they’re available for anyone to hire? Kits include kids’ tables and chairs, reusable plates, cutlery, bunting, table cloths, and even games! Get in touch to find out more and book today:
- Pirongia Hall Society
- Te Awamutu Toy Library: tac.toylibrary@gmail.com
- Cambridge Toy Library: Librariantoylibrary@gmail.com
I’d like to limit our waste at my daughter’s upcoming birthday party, but I’m not sure where to start!
It can sometimes feel overwhelming knowing where to start. We’ve got you! We’ve put together some simple ideas from Nic’s video to get you going. Remember to start small, and once you feel confident with your new habits, add in some more. Download your Zero Waste Kids Party Guide here.