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What We've Done
We have cleared up the rubbish at all kinds of different events over the years. The type of events we have worked for vary from road races, music festivals, parties and conferences (indoor and outdoor) events on heritage land, and inner city events.
We have the flexibility to work at the very large such as Glastonbury Festival to the smaller more intimate festival such as Cornbury.
Below are some images and a film of our operation to give an idea of what we've done.
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Contact & links
If you are a new or existing client please feel free to contact us by email:
To enquire about working with us please contact:
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About Us
We are a sustainable waste management company who specialise in clearing up and recycling at events and festivals. We have managed the waste for all kinds of events including music festivals, road races, indoor events and conferences.
We have literally tons of experience in tailoring our service to the needs of each client, offering our customers sustainable solutions for their waste that can grow and evolve along with their event.
We understand the events climate and our team are flexible and responsive both in the planning process and on the ground.
Above all though, we are extremely good at keeping event sites both clean and lovely for those who attend, and sustainable and hassle free for organisers.
Critical Waste was formed in 2010, bringing together a team of people who are the best in their field (excuse the pun) at designing waste solutions to cope with event rubbish. This team are passionate about rubbish, recycling AND events. Doing it properly is what we really love to do.
Between us we have the combined experience of managing waste at more than 50 different events over a period of around 12 years.
Our other manifestation 'Festival Recycling' has managed the waste at Glastonbury Festival since 2008.
We also like to go to events - think its something special to create a temporary, amazing place, and enjoy managing the special challenges that this environment throws at us.
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Festival Work
Apply for Boomtown 2023 now!
Click here to apply.
We are currently looking for volunteer recyclers to help us clean-up and green-up Boomtown Fair Chapter 2 - The Twin Trail in August 2023 at the beautiful Matterley Bowl Estate near Winchester. You can find out more about the festive HERE, and you can join our Boomtown Fair Recycling Team HERE.
Boomtown Fair is an amazingly immersive festival which began in 2009, with an emphasis on reggae and dance music. August the 9th to the 13th 2023 will see Boomtown continue to expand their vision of a theatrically led festival of bands and DJs from across the global and underground spectrum with an ethos of respect, connection, creativity and celebration. Basically, it’s a festival that will have you in awe.
Our volunteer positions
There are 2 shift patterns to choose from:
We really recommend that you read our Boomtown 2023 FAQ's here.
- During the festival = 3 x 6 hour shifts from Friday to Sunday, 6am to 12 midday
- Post festival = 3 x 8 hour shifts from Monday to Wednesday, 8am to 5pm, with 1 hour lunch
We provide a nice crew campsite with showers and toilets (of course). Two free meals each day you work for shifts during the festival, 3 free meals each day you work for shifts post festival. All the free tea and coffee that you can drink. You will be given early access to the site and receive free crew car parking. We also give you a specially designed crew t-shirt to say thanks for volunteering with us.
We ask that you pay a security deposit for your volunteer place of £295. This will be returned in full once you have completed all your shifts. You will need to agree to the terms of our Critical Waste Volunteer Agreement.If you have ANY questions about volunteering with us at Boomtown 2023 please contact us at volunteer@criticalwaste.co.uk.
You can apply for a place on our Boomtown 2023 volunteer Recycling Team using the link to the secure webform below.
Click here to apply.
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Login / Register
Login to your account - or register to work with us.
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What we do
Our aim is to work with our clients both before, during and after in order to keep the event spotless, whilst capturing the most recycling possible and diverting it from landfill.
This process ensures that our client's events are clean and sustainable whilst also keeping down the increasing cost of sending waste to landfill.
We are however always open to new challenges and ways of doing things, so please feel free to discuss with us any ideas you may have for your event's waste.
We have found that ground breaking new ideas can achieve big results with a bit of careful thought and planning.
One example of this being the implementation of a composting system at Glastonbury Festival in 2005 - a new innovation at the time which has grown and become an integral part of the waste management at that event, helping to raise their recycling figure to a groundbreaking 50%.
If you are looking for a quality waste management service then please feel free to give us a call about your event so we can put together a proposal for you to look at.
We are more than willing to give ballpark type quotes for new events who are looking to figure out their feasibility.
We have the flexibility to work with organisers to introduce new waste and recycling systems in order to gain your event more sustainability over time.
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Our Philosophy
Our recycling systems are tried and tested, both for dealing with event waste and in extracting the largest amount of recycling possible.
Source separation is essential to a achieving a good recycling rate.
It's never been possible to send unsorted waste off site to have it recycled properly elsewhere.
We always source separate waste.With well signed bins for different materials for the public and traders, plus colour coded bags for the litter pick we make sure we don't miss any chance to pull out recycling.
This doesn't slow us down as we realise events and festivals move fast and wont wait for us. Our crew has years of experience and can clear a site as quickly as the companies who just throw it all away.When our high quality recycling leaves the event site we always work with local and reputable companies for final disposal, choosing those who keep the material in the UK and Europe wherever possible.
After the show we provide organisers with the figures to understand the waste that's come out of their event. These can be used to promote an event's commitment to the environment.
Our figures are reliable and have stood up to scrutiny and auditors - which we welcome in an industry that is rife with false claims and greenwashing.The simple premise that underpins genuine recycling is that if the waste from an event is not being separated at source then it's probably not receiving a proper recycling service. Which is what an event is paying for after all, especially taking in to consideration that the increasing cost of sending waste to landfill can be reduced by recycling.
Our part in the global issue of waste is small in terms of tonnage but large in cultural significance. Public events help form our attitudes and the promotion of environmental sustainability in these places can have far reaching effects.
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Recycling & Disposal
The waste hierarchy of Reduce, Re-use, Recycle is a good basic concept that we work with for our operations.
Reduce
The longer we work with an event the more we can do to reduce the waste it produces. We can give advice on the materials and methods used during the build and the packaging that traders bring on-site for the show. If we know what is going to arrive on-site we'll be ready to capture it for recycling.
We are always looking to design new innovations in this area to improve rates and participation.Re-Use
We send items for re-use whenever we can. It's much better if an item can be used again in it's original state than to be mashed up and manufactured in to something else.
We have built the contacts with community and charity groups to enable us to make an impact on abandoned camping equipment. We collect in bread crates, LPG containers and waste oil and we work with charity groups who collect surplus food for use in food-banks.Recycle
Temporary events will probably always use a lot of single-use items. The basic types of food and drink packaging; cans, bottles and cardboard are generated in huge volumes. We've become experts at collecting and separating these items and recycling them, saving this valuable resource from going to landfill.
What's left after all this is called 'residual waste'. Whenever possible we send residual waste for mechanical and biological treatment, a last chance to extract anything we've missed. -
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Our Service
What you can expect from us:
Before the event:
- - We can be trusted to design an informed, cost effective service for your event so you have one less thing to worry about.
- - Our experience and reputation can offer your event the credibility needed to gain your license.
- - Good advice and peace of mind regarding compliance with Environment Agency and waste legislation.
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- We keep up to date on developments within the waste industry especially with reference to new technology and disposal, ensuring that you have access to the best advice and knowledge.
On the ground:
- - Well designed bin stations (with clear signage) which have more than proved to be the best system for dealing with front of house waste.
- - Specially designed trade waste containment to ensure that high quality separation and cleanliness are maintained.
- - Well placed, signed and designed waste containment for camping areas.
- - A professional crew on the ground who are dedicated to responding to any waste issues quickly, positively and efficiently.
- - High quality litter picking which is able to respond to an event's deadlines. (We've never failed to meet a deadline yet, despite short notice changes and bad weather).
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- All the containment methods mentioned are regularly serviced.
After the event has finished:
- - Fast and efficient clearance allowing the site to be returned to the owner on schedule.
- - We offer a fully accountable duty of care procedure, so you can be sure your waste is disposed of properly and the maximum amount of material is recovered, recycled and diverted from landfill.
- - We also offer a post event report which includes your event's all important recycling figure and any points which may need attention for the following year.
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Privacy Policy & GDPR
Last updated: 16th December 2019
Definitions
We, our, us - Critical Waste Limited
You, your, user - a member of the public accessing this website for information, an applicant submitting data, or a volunteer updating their data.
Our team - employees and contractors of Critical Waste Limited who may have access to your data so that they can support you.PRIVACY POLICY
What data do we collect and why?
The data we request from you during the application and update processes is essential to employing you at the festivals we work at. In addition, we record details using on-site registers that tell us which shifts you completed and any further information you choose to give us while on-site (if you ask for it to be recorded).
What data do we share and why?
Your data will be used for purposes relating to your work for us, such as issuing your pass and communicating with you about your role. Your data will shared for the purposes of shift organisation and this shared data will be deleted after a period of five years.
For the safety of the general public and other volunteers, prior to arrival on any festival or event site your personal details may be passed to the police to allow for a Police National Computer (PNC) check and/or Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check to be performed.
If you fail to complete all of your shifts as a volunteer in accordance with your volunteer agreement (or are otherwise in breach of the agreement), your basic identification details may be disclosed to other organisations contracted to an event you volunteered at for their future reference. These organisations are only permitted to use this data for the purposes of their work at the same event in future.
Confidentiality
We place strict controls over access to your data and ensure that no-one has access to your data that shouldn't.
Legal Jurisdiction
We operate under the laws of England and Wales.
GDPR
Breach Notification
We will notify our users of any breach of data via email within 72hrs of identifying the breach.
Right to Access
You can request data that is held about you on our systems if required by emailing help@criticalwaste.co.uk
Right of Erasure
You may request to have all of your personal data removed from our systems with the exception of the audit trail. You can request this by contacting help@criticalwaste.co.uk. However, if you choose to do this you will forfeit your ability to become a veteran at some festivals as information regarding previous years worked will no longer be available. Additionally, if your data has been deleted, we will no longer be able to contact you so that we can ask you back to volunteer in future years.
Data Protection Officer
Andy Wilcott is the Data Protection Officer. He can be contacted via the Contact & Links page.
Personal dataPersonal data that you provide to us will be deleted after a period of five years.
