Reducing plastic tips for events
Marine plastic Pollution Checklist for Events (With thanks to active 360 and friends)

Water refills readily available and advertised for reusable bottles
Bottled water is not sold at the event
Loose balloons filled with helium are not used and any balloons are tied down. Find out more about balloon releases
Plastic promotional materials are generally not used unless something high value unlikely to be discarded
No plastic cutlery is used - replaced with wooden/compostable/edible where necessary
No styrofoam (polystyrene) containers or cups used
No plastic straws are used and paper straws only on request or left out for people to take
Drinks are sold in cans or glass bottles - not plastic ones
No single-use plastic cups are used and these are replaced where appropriate with polycarbonate or steel reusable with deposits charged
Food containers are compostable or as a minimum recyclable
Hot drinks are discounted when you bring a reusable cup
Flyers and handouts are minimised by use of reusable banners
Bins around the event always have capacity and are emptied before being completely full to avoid overflowing
Wheelie bins are tied / strapped down to ensure contents stay inside e.g.with binstrap
After the event rubbish is removed promptly to avoid spillage
Areas near the event are checked and cleared of litter during and after the event
The event includes activities to increase awareness of marine plastic pollution and the need to reduce single use plastic ( e.g. on water litter picking)
Reusable coffee cups and water bottles on sale
No plastic bags are given out without a charge and where possible reusable bags are sold or ideally paper bags are used or natural fabric bags sold.
Plastic cable ties are not used to fix up event posters
The event includes activities to raise awareness of marine plastic pollution 22. Receptacles provided for cigarette butts and chewing gum e.g. Zilch micro-bins
We would like to thank Nature Travels for supporting the production of this guide.
Return to plastic-free business