The waste station at Council’s Glow in the Park earlier this month collected 670kg of rubbish, but was able to divert 93 per cent of it to recycling and composting facilities.

The station was staffed by Eco Educate, which undertakes recycling education in the Ashburton District.

Manager Lesley Ottey said the volume of waste diverted from landfill was outstanding, and the best result in her 14 years of events.

“Good diversion doesn’t happen without waste stations and a team that is enthusiastic about educating people about what can be recycled or diverted from landfill.”

Rubbish bins at Ashburton Domain venue were covered over and visitors to Glow directed to the waste station near the food court to deal with their leftover food, food packaging and takeaway cups.

“We had lots of thank yous and positive comments from members of the public and from the vendors selling food on the three nights.”

The 625.5kg of rubbish diverted from landfill included 331.5kg of food waste, 180kg of compostable packaging, 77.5kg of clean cardboard, 34.5kg of aluminium cans and plastic bottles and 2kg of large paper bags.

Food scrap buckets were delivered to food truck operators to use during the event, and all items brought to the waste station counted or weighed.

Group Manager Compliance and Development Jane Donaldson said the results were excellent and showed the Council’s commitment to zero waste was paying dividends.

“To take it to the next level involves encouraging people to bring their own reusables and finding sustainable solutions for hard-to-recycle things like coffee cups.”