During the Electric Picnic weekend, a total of 545,000 plastic bottles and aluminium cans were collected.
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- Re-turn has confirmed that 545,000 drink containers were collected throughout the Electric Picnic weekend and the post-event cleanup.
- In total, twelve tonnes of high-quality material were sent to recycling facilities ensuring that valuable resources re-enter the circular economy.
- Re-turn worked with Live Nation and several support teams such as Return for Children volunteers, Killeshin GAA Club and Meath Camogie to collect empty drinks containers for recycling and donations
Re-turn, the operator of Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme, has announced a major recycling success at this year’s Electric Picnic, with over 545,000 drinks containers collected during the festival. In total, twelve tonnes of material were diverted from general waste, with deposits going to great causes.
The achievement was made possible thanks to the support of over 200 volunteers, more than 250 collection bins, and six on-site Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs). Working together, Return for Children volunteers, Killeshin GAA, Meath Camogie, and Re-turn’s own team played a vital role in making the cleanup a success.
To support this incredible collective effort, Re-turn positioned branded bins across the festival grounds to encourage the public to place their empty drinks containers into the bins. The Re-turn team was also on site at a stand, where festival goers were able to play educational games and ask Re-turn representatives the questions they had about the Deposit Return Scheme. To further engage with the public and encourage them to recycle their drink containers correctly, Re-turn participated in a fireside chat with Hot Press magazine during the festival, discussing the importance of achieving sustainability targets.
Re-turn also highlighted that the material collected was of high quality with minimal contamination, underlining the public’s growing awareness and commitment to the Deposit Return Scheme.
Comment from Re-turn.
Commenting on the large volume of collections, Ciaran Foley, CEO of Re-turn, said:“I would like to thank all of the volunteers, clubs, and festival goers for embracing this initiative and helping us to collect over half a million bottles and cans. Large scale events like Electric Picnic show how collective effort can make a big impact on the circular economy. The impressive volume of material can now be recycled to help Ireland’s sustainability goals.”
The partnership with Live Nation at Electric Picnic alongside community groups and charities demonstrates how large-scale live events can not only entertain but also deliver tangible environmental benefits by promoting recycling and reducing waste.