NEWTOWN FESTIVAL
The biggest free musical festival and street fair in Aotearoa
Where Nonstop Solutions Began
If you’ve heard the Nonstop Solutions story - there’s no doubt you’ve heard about the beginnings at Newtown Festival.
In 2012, four passionate individuals decided to take action against waste at one of Wellington’s most iconic street festivals, Newtown Festival. Their vision was clear: to divert as much waste from landfill as possible. What started as a grassroots initiative soon evolved into a movement, and over the years, this mission grew into what we now know as Nonstop Solutions.
The Journey from Waste to Reuse
Every year, the team dedicated themselves to improving waste diversion at Newtown Festival, learning from each challenge and victory. In 2015 Wash Against Waste began at Newtown Festival, marking a pivotal shift toward reuse at the festival. This initiative introduced reusable serviceware, encouraging festival-goers and vendors alike to rethink their relationship with single-use items.
In 2019, the Newtown Community and Cultural Centre (NCCC) took this a step further by creating a borrowable kit of washing supplies, making it easier for festivals and events to embrace reuse.
From Local Beginnings to Citywide Change
The momentum from Newtown Festival led to the founding of Wellington Waste Management (WWM) in 2018. Building on the festival’s success, the WWM team began managing waste at more events, diverting increasing amounts of resources from landfill. But as our vision expanded, we realised the need to move beyond just waste, and wider than Wellington. In 2021, WWM rebranded as Nonstop Solutions.
Despite their growth, Nonstop Solutions remains committed to their roots. Newtown Festival continues to be a key event for the team, and our work here exemplifies the progress made in sustainable event management in Pōneke.
A Post-COVID Revival: 2023
After the challenges of the pandemic, 2023 marked the first post-COVID Newtown Festival, and it was a year of exciting growth for Nonstop Solutions—especially for Wash Against Waste. The festival achieved a 65% resource reduction and recovery rate, a significant accomplishment for an open street event where controlling waste streams can be difficult.
In total, 2,727 single-use items were saved through the use of Wash Against Waste’s reusable serviceware. For the first time, two streets were fully serviced by Wash Against Waste, with vendors showing great success in adopting reuse practices. To manage the high volume of reusable items, a dishwasher was brought onsite, ensuring that dishes were cleaned and reused during the event itself.
Waste Diversion in Action
Waste Diversion Specialists were present to sort resources into the correct streams, ensuring that as many resources as possible were diverted from landfill. In 2024, Newtown Festival made significant strides in sustainability, achieving an impressive 69.8% resource recovery rate, up from 65% in 2023. This year, a total of 1,139.2 kg of resources were successfully diverted from landfill, reflecting the festival’s ongoing commitment to reducing waste.
40.7% of materials were recycled and
28.7% were sent to compost
