Ecofeste
Contact Person: CINZIA VUOTO
E-mail: cinzia.vuoto@comune.cremona.it
Institution address: COMUNE di CREMONA Piazza del Comune 26100 Cremona
Web: http://www.comune.cremona.it/
WHERE: Cremona, Italy
WHEN: since 2017
WASTE MANAGEMENT HIERARCHY: prevention
TYPE OF INSTRUMENT: Education, information, awareness raising and Regulatory / normative
WASTE STREAMS: Municipal waste, Packaging waste, Plastics, Paper
About: Within the project Ecofeste, The Municipality has adopted a “Decalogue of good practices” that will be the reference point for the event organizers. The Council approved the Guidelines for Ecofeste with the intent to promote virtuous behaviour during public events so as to obtain a reduction in the amount of waste produced. This initiative is also part of the activities to improve and enhance separate waste collection. Events and festivals, especially those that attract a lot of public, are intended as a vehicle to promote the environmental culture of the participants and a virtuous example of correct eco-sustainable behavior. Thanks to the new methods it will also be possible to trace the quantities of waste produced and the correct use of the distributed containers.
• Happening: 770,00 kg, 52%
• Agropolis: 103,30 kg, 68%
• Anffas grill: 226,10 kg, 88%
• Festa Arci: 1.339,40 kg, 87%
• Festa pd: 2.672,05 kg, 50%

“The municipality of Cremona has been working on for about two years, on the project “Ecofeste”, a project that aims to promote a proper and environmentally sustainable management of waste during the festivals and events in public places or open to the public, for dissemination of good practices and waste reduction also in public events. A practice that, however, is struggling to take off mainly due to the still quite high cost of mater-bi items, or completely biodegradable bioplastics that exceeds 50% of disposable objects and the difficulty of finding such objects on the market. However, these difficulties do not restrain certain associations that manage to organize “plastic-free” events, with the distribution of public water and zero-kilometer food, often from local organic farming, with areas equipped with containers for separate waste collection.“ (Cinzia Vuoto, Comune di Cremona)
– Going Green: 5 Best Practice Sustainable Events
– Zero waste cities
– Wrap UK Zero waste events road map
– Harvard University Zero Waste Event Guide
– The 10 best environmentally friendly festivals
– Green hospitality Programme Ireland
– Sustainable event management – a practical guide
– Sustainable events alliance
The most important aspect is related to the sustainability, although difficult to implement in the first year, after some time the population behaviors change. It is important to communicate with the public, to publish statistics on the quantities of recycled waste for different waste streams, to ask for their involvement in the implementation of activity.
– reducing the production of waste during public events,
– making waste disposal cheaper,
– Increase the quota of waste to composting plants and to treatment and recovery plants,
– Decrease the use of non-renewable raw materials by favouring renewable raw materials such as bioplastics,
– Promote the use of local and/or organic food


Click on the green icon on the left side of the page to print and download this Best Practice as PDF.