Family Picnic Receives the “Event on the Path to Zero Waste” Title
Last Saturday, the 6th Family Picnic took place in the City Park. This year’s event was dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the birth of Josipina Hočevar. The event was organised according to zero waste event guidelines and was competing for the title “Event on the Path to Zero Waste.”
The event was organised by the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Tourism (CPT) Krško, the Valvasor Library Krško, the Public Fund for Cultural Activities – Krško Branch, the Krško City Museum, and the Posavje Museum Brežice.
For the event, CPT Krško signed a green commitment already last year, aiming to reduce the amount of waste generated. The main goals were to produce as little waste as possible and to achieve more than a 90% rate of separately collected waste.
“During the event, we organised a Green Patrol, which helped visitors sort their waste correctly. The Green Patrol was supported by students from class 7a of the Leskovec pri Krškem Primary School and by the municipal company Kostak, which provided eco-points and a waste-sorting guide,” explained Kristina Ogorevc Račič, Director of CPT Krško.
How Did We Achieve This?
Visitors were encouraged to carefully separate their waste at three eco-points. For this purpose, public waste bins in the park were temporarily closed, and all separately collected waste was weighed after the event.
The event programme was designed to minimise waste generation. Reusable returnable cups, compostable food packaging, and sustainable workshops for children were used and organised. Visitors were also encouraged to bring their own bottles and cups, as drinking water was available on-site from a public fountain and tap.
The entire event was monitored by representatives of the Ecologists Without Borders organisation. They praised the organisation and the thorough preparations aimed at reducing and preventing waste, as well as the awareness-raising about waste before and during the event.
During the event, less than 12 kg of waste was generated in total, which represents only 13 grams of waste per visitor. Although slightly less than 90% of the waste was collected separately (84%), the event still earned the title “Event on the Path to Zero Waste” with two stars due to the extremely small overall amount of waste, the low amount of waste per visitor, and the use of reusable returnable cups.
With the obtained “Event on the Path to Zero Waste” title, the organisers will continue to build on this good practice and further develop even greener events in the Municipality of Krško.
Why Is It Important to Address Waste?
According to available data, an average visitor at events generates more than one kilogram of waste per day. In many cases, waste at events is not collected separately, which means that even the basic requirement for recycling is not met.
In Krško, we want to take a step further – not only by promoting recycling but also by preventing waste from being created in the first place.
We believe that protecting the environment is a shared responsibility. That is why we want to set an example for both event visitors and other festival organisers.
Thank you for helping us fulfil our commitment and achieve these goals.
