Event planning and safety

Single-use plastics

Single-use plastics are products made wholly or partly from plastic that are used once, or for a short period of time, before being thrown away.

When organising an event on council land, you should:

  • where possible use products made of compostable materials instead of single-use plastics
  • use recycled plastics if there are no alternatives to single-use plastic

Examples of single-use plastics

The lists below give examples of how single-use plastics have been used by event organisers in the past. Wherever possible, single-use plastics should be avoided.

Examples of plastics used for catering:

  • water cups
  • water bottles
  • sachets – for example, sauces, milk, coffee pods
  • take-away cutlery, boxes, plates and cups made wholly or partly from plastic

Examples of plastics used for cleaning:

  • single-use containers – for example, hand soap, cleaning products
  • wipes containing plastic

Examples of plastics used for documents or administration:

  • plastic envelopes
  • plastic wrapping for brochures

Examples of plastics used in packaging:

  • single-use carrier bags
  • single-use packaging of deliveries