Bristol-based waste management experts Grundon has renewed its ties with a major local festival as planning for this year’s summer events season gets into full swing.
Valley Fest, which is expecting 12,000 people on site in Chew Magna from August 3rd to 6th, has appointed Grundon to manage its waste streams over the course of the festival weekend.
Grundon will support the food and music festival on a major effort to increase recycling levels, as part of its ongoing drive for optimum sustainability.
It will be the second time that Grundon has provided services to Valley Fest after a successful first year in 2022 which saw sell-out crowds requiring additional equipment at short notice.
Features of Grundon’s waste management solution this year will include banks of recycling bins in public areas to encourage festival-goers to separate their food waste.
And Valley Fest is urging its food suppliers provide compostable bagasse containers. Bagasse is the fibrous cane pulp which is a by-product of the sugar making process and can be recycled alongside food waste.
Grundon is an award-winning events waste management expert, providing services to around 100 festivals and sporting or cultural events around the UK each year. These range from major events like the Formula 1 British Grand Prix and the Henley Royal Regatta, to many festivals, Christmas fairs, village fetes and county shows.
Daniel Peacey, Regional Sales Manager for Grundon in Bristol, said: “We are pleased to be working with Valley Fest again after our successful first year supporting the event.
“Festivals are high-pressured environments needing experience and flexibility, operations at unconventional hours and sometimes a willingness to go the extra mile.
“The events industry operates on often very tight financial margins, so it’s important to get the solution right with a balance between the opposing risks of spending too much, or too little.
“Our depot in Bristol is perfectly placed to provide a personalised service to the many festivals we enjoy in the South West, as well as the ability to deploy additional resources at short notice.
“As a local supplier we are happy to work with Valley Fest again and are looking forward to another successful year working with their team.”
Valley Fest was first set up in 2014 and has run every year since, except 2020. It takes place on an organic farm by the side of Chew Valley Lake owned by festival founder Luke Hasell.
Family-friendly, and specialising in local food and drink as well as showcasing some of the UK’s best music, it focuses strongly on sustainability and is part of the A Greener Future campaign, dedicated to improving the carbon footprint of live events.
Harad Smith, Festival Manager at Valley Fest, said: “We were more than satisfied with the services Grundon provided us with last year and we are happy to be working with them again to help provide the best solution for our event, our festival goers and our food and drink suppliers.
“Part of our focus regarding sustainability is a drive to source as locally as possible. We all know that the South West prides itself on its food and drink but there are many elements in running a festival, from water and fuel usage, considerations around waste water, as well as the transport and travel distance for suppliers, our audience and our artists.
“There’s a huge benefit for us in using local suppliers, not only because of the added sustainability but also thanks to the sharing of local knowledge and contacts.
“After recovering from the challenges of the pandemic the festival industry around Bristol is really thriving, with dozens of events planned within an hour’s drive of the city this summer.
“What people may not realise is the work which goes into these events before and after the festival, as well as during it. As such we’re delighted to have found a local partner who can support our waste management requirements.”
Originally founded in 1929, in 2014 Grundon became the first of the major waste industry players to adopt CarbonNeutral® certification across its vehicle fleet, offsetting its carbon emissions by supporting a wide range of rural community projects across East Africa and beyond.
Since 2000, Grundon has reduced its carbon emissions by 78.68% through measures including an ongoing energy self-sufficiency programme and investment in state-of-the-art technology.
