Day in the Bay
ISLAND BAY FESTIVAL
Leading the Charge: Island Bay Festival’s Journey to Zero Waste
The Island Bay Festival was started in the late 1980s by a small group of Island Bay residents who believed in bringing forth the hidden gems of talented, creative people living in Island Bay. They wanted to celebrate the great musicians, artists, poets, writers in Island Bay; and at the same time get the community together for some fun. What started as a small grass-roots weekend festival has grown over the years to a multi-day festival that’s also for wider Wellington.
Partnership with Nonstop Solutions
In 2019, the Island Bay Festival embarked on a zero-waste journey, partnering with Nonstop Solutions to reduce its environmental footprint. The festival organisers recognised the growing demand for sustainable practices in events and sought to align with the community’s values by embracing waste minimisation and sustainability.
The 2023 Island Bay Festival marked a significant turning point in this partnership, with the event becoming one of Nonstop Solutions’ early adopters of reuse systems. This decision demonstrated the Island Bay Festival’s commitment to eliminating single-use products.
2024 Results
The reuse system rollout at Island Bay Festival 2023 has proved to be a success. The festival achieved a reuse recovery rate of almost 90% in 2024, significantly reducing the volume of waste sent to landfills. The Island Bay community responded with enthusiasm, with many using the reusables on offer and showcasing how street fairs can implement sustainable solutions without sacrificing the attendee experience.
Introducing reuse lifts Island Bay Festival from a resource recovery rate of 64% to 89% within 2 years.
Dan Wilkinson - Island Bay Festival Director
“Working alongside Nonstop Solutions has been amazing. Their services aligned to our kaupapa of drastically reducing how much waste we were generating. By communicating about their different systems they offer such as reusable crockery, we were able to reach our goals and divert almost 90% of our waste from the landfill. I would highly recommend their services as they are clear communicators and bring a wonderful energy to the occasion.”
