Waste minimisation at events

Your plan will need to cover:

• What waste will be created at your event
• Estimated total waste volume that your event will generate for each waste type
• How and when this waste will be collected, both during and after your event
• Waste minimisation initiatives
• Expected diversion from landfill

You will also need to have a site plan which includes the location of:

• Waste stations
• Waste sorting and/or storage facilities
• Signage
• Site entry and exit points
• Food and beverage vendors
• Merchandise
• All public litter bins at the event site
• The route collection vehicles will use to access the waste storage facilities during the event, if applicable

Before you start your plan, read over the guides below which can assist you when completing your plan:

Waste Minimisation Guide (PDF 3.75MB)

Event Packaging Guidelines (PDF 3.8 MB)

Plans must be submitted to Council at least 30 working days before the event starts. A member of our Solid Waste Team will be in contact with you once the plan has been submitted with any further actions needed.

Plans must be submitted by the event manager. If your event is at Lower Hutt Events Centre, Ricoh Sports Centre, or Walter Nash, please have a chat to the venue manager to see how they can help assist you. For other venues, it is also a good idea to work with the venue manager for working out logistics of your plan.

You do not need to complete a plan if your event is an indoor private function or for any regularly occurring recreational activities such as weekly sports events.

We're committed to promoting low-waste events. That's why we're offering funding to cover the costs of waste management and minimisation services (excluding landfill disposal costs) for non-ticketed, large community events (1000+ attendees) until June 2025!

You can choose from a range of approved event waste management companies including Nonstop Solutions to make your event more sustainable.  

What this means for you:  

• Tailored solutions - Collaborate with the event waste management company of your choice to develop a customised waste management and minimisation plan that fits your event’s needs and waste reduction goals.
• Funding for waste minimisation services - Apply for funding to cover the costs of waste management and minimisation services from any of the approved event waste management providers. These services will help you reduce waste, increase diversion rates from landfill, and implement waste minimisation practices for your event.

Ready to Get Started?  
Explore your options and connect with one of the approved event waste management companies to discuss how they can support your event's waste reduction initiatives.

For more information, contact: waste@huttcity.govt.nz

The below groups offer services to assist with creating Waste Minimisation Plans as well as managing waste on the day.

• Nonstop Solutions (community and large events)
• Organic Wealth (community and large events)
• Closed Loop (large events only)

On completion of your event, you will also need to provide Council with a waste analysis report. This report should include a breakdown of:

• The types of waste generated by the event
• The amount of waste (by type) generated by the event
• The amount of waste diverted and avoided
• The waste management facilities used to recover, recycle, treat or dispose of this waste
• How well did you meet your waste diversion targets? Is there anything you or Council could have done to improve this?
• Any additional relevant information, e.g. any unforeseen changes made to the event waste plan