Cleanliness and waste management

A clean venue is a key element that contributes to the atmosphere and attractiveness of the event; an untidy and littered venue may not attract guests to return to the event. Litter attracts more litter. Likewise, the tidier the venue is, the less waste people will leave lying around. In addition to actual waste management working well, this is psychological: if the venue is tidy, people will not want to litter it.

Tips for reducing the amount of waste and litter:

• make sure that there are enough clearly marked waste bins in the area, place them along walkways and near food stands, and make sure they are emptied often enough;
• avoid unnecessary packaging;
• plan any food service in a manner that results in as little waste as possible;
• charge a deposit for reusable dishes such as glasses and mugs;
• avoid distributing flyers or individually-wrapped marketing materials at the event.

Waste management

According to the municipal waste management regulations, an event must be planned so that the amount of waste is kept to a minimum. The event organiser bears the main responsibility for organising waste management at and cleaning up the venue after the event.

When planning your event, consider whether there are sufficient waste collection facilities at the venue. Are there waste bins at the venue, and are they available for use at the event? Ask the lessor of the venue for permission to use them.

Waste management plan

A dedicated waste management plan is required of all events, and especially if food and drinks are served at the event. The plan must be presented to the City of Tampere Environmental Protection Unit upon request.

Among other things, the waste management plan must include the following information:

• An estimate of the number of people attending and waste produced at the event (in kg or tonnes) according to types of waste (e.g. mixed waste, cardboard, organic waste, metal, glass);
• Number of waste collection bins and their locations according to types of waste on the venue map;
• Waste sorting instructions for waste collection stations;
• Frequency of emptying the waste collection bins (at an event that takes place during several days);
• Waste collection company;
• Waste collection and disposal on and around the venue during the event;
• Plan and number of portable toilets and contact information for the company responsible for emptying and maintaining the toilets.
• Cleaning up the venue and its surroundings after the event;
• Contact information of the person responsible for the event, including a phone number on which to reach them during the event.

Municipal waste management regulations

Waste management at an event is subject to municipal waste management regulations. If the amount of waste produced at the event exceeds the following amounts, the waste must be separated:

• Bio waste: 10 kg or more
• Cardboard: 5 kg or more
• Metal: 2 kg or more
• Glass: 2 kg or more
• Plastic: 5 kg or more

Waste bins and waste collection

If it is necessary to arrange for waste collection at the event, make sure that there are bins around the venue where they are needed the most, such as near exits, along walkways and next to food stands. Stands that sell food or alcoholic beverages as well as other operations that produce significant amounts of waste require their own waste collection bins in addition to those reserved for guests. If the waste is sorted at the event, remember to notify the operators beforehand and mark the bins clearly.

The event organiser is also responsible for emptying the waste bins. The bins may have to be emptied several times a day at events with food service and a large number of guests.

If there are fixed waste bins at the venue that can be expected to be filled during the event, the event organiser is responsible for emptying them as well. For more information, please contact the lessor of the venue.

The waste bin supplier will help you to estimate the number of waste bins you need. You can contact Tampere Regional Solid Waste Management (Pirkanmaan Jätehuolto) for advice.

Placement of waste bins:

• Clearly visible and accessible;
• Central locations along walkways and exit routes;
• Near food and drink stands.

Cleaning up the venue

If the venue is untidy before the event, contact the lessor. Make sure to arrange for cleaning up during the event to keep the venue attractive. Plan the times and resources for cleaning during the event to make sure it can be carried out smoothly. You can also set up teams of volunteers to patrol the area and clean it up.

The venue must be cleaned up after the event. If it is not possible to collect the rubbish manually, the event organiser must make sure the venue is cleaned up using suitable machines. You may contact the lessor of the venue for advice on cleaning up the venue.

Toilets

The venue must have sufficient toilet facilities with hand wash stations for guests. Most indoor venues are equipped with sufficient toilet facilities, but when needed, you can increase the capacity with portable toilets or the toilets in nearby facilities.

At many outdoor venues, there are no toilet facilities and in most cases, portable toilets that do not require tap water or a sewerage connection need to be transported to the area. Specially designed ecological dry toilets, toilet trailers and container toilets with running water and a sewerage connection are also available. Please note that the toilets must not be flushed to storm drains under any circumstances! Check the availability of sewers and running water with the venue owner in good time. Remember that for longer events, toilets without a sewerage connection may have to be emptied during the event. Portable toilet suppliers can assist you in these matters.

If you are organising a small-scale outdoor event where food or alcohol are not served, you can ask if it would be possible to use the toilet facilities of a nearby building. In this case, it is advisable to have a security steward supervise the area.

Toilet facilities should be placed in a suitable location on the site, and there must be clear signage pointing to their location in the area. According to the guidelines provided by the Finnish National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health Valvira, dry toilets must be placed on compact soil in a manner that prevents any health risks arising from smells or the contamination of household water or soil. In addition, the toilet must be properly ventilated in a manner that prevents the smells from spreading elsewhere in the premises.

A hand wash station must be provided in connection with toilet facilities. If it is not possible to provide a hand wash station due to the lack of running water and plumbing, for instance, disinfecting liquids or hand towels can be provided instead. Remember to place waste bins in or near the toilet facilities.

Number of toilets needed

Toilet facilities should be provided for men and women, and the accessibility of toilets for the disabled should be taken into account. It is advisable to have a few unisex toilets available. Half of the toilets for men can be replaced with an equivalent number of urinals.

Consider the event’s guest demographics when planning the toilet facilities: generally, a higher number of ladies’ or unisex facilities is needed than men’s. Also consider whether a potty chair, changing table, toilet seat reducer ring or other sanitary equipment for children are needed at your event.

The Finnish National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health Valvira provides guidelines that include instructions for estimating the number of toilet facilities needed at events, and portable toilet suppliers can help you to determine the number of toilets needed at your event. You can also contact the City of Tampere’s health department (Tampereen kaupungin Terveydensuojelu) or Tampere Event Services for consultation.

The total number of toilets needed depends on the nature of the event, and it may be lower than suggested in the below guidelines if the event is short or there are public toilet facilities available near the venue. Correspondingly, if the event lasts longer than five hours or if alcohol is served at the event, the number of toilets should be higher.

Number of toilets needed at events

The numbers in the table below should only be used as a starting point for estimating the actual number of toilets needed.