Events at the Frequency Festival: Utilizing Drones for Trash Removal
The Frequency Festival, held from 15th to 17th August in St. Pölten, was a commercial success, attracting over 50,000 visitors. One of the highlights of this year's event was the introduction of the "Leave your tent, plant a tree" initiative.
The goal of this initiative was to collect 10,000 tents, but only 1,000 were taken back. Despite falling short of the target, festival boss, Harry Jenner, has expressed his intention to continue the initiative in 2020, aiming to reach a five-digit number of tents.
The festival was not without its challenges, however. Criticism regarding enormous amounts of waste left by visitors has been raised, particularly on social media. Some guests were accused of leaving waste outside the festival area. The concert manager inspected the festival area thoroughly, including using a drone for an aerial check, but no specific connection was made between this and the "Leave your tent, plant a tree" initiative.
Photos of waste next to and in the Traisen river have sparked heated discussions. To address this issue, a cleaning crew consisting of over 100 people worked diligently to clean up the area. Ten people equipped with neoprene suits removed debris from the river, and an oil barrier was used to catch waste during the cleaning process. Despite the criticism, the cleaning crew finished their job earlier than the usual ten days.
General event best practices for waste management and reduction often include providing ample recycling and composting bins, using biodegradable or reusable cups, plates, and utensils, partnering with waste management companies, educating attendees about waste sorting, and monitoring waste streams. However, without specific documentation or reports about Frequency Festival 2019, these remain presumptive.
For those seeking detailed and verified information on the festival’s sustainability efforts and outcomes for that year, it is recommended to check the organizers' official communications, sustainability reports, or local news archives from around the time of the event.
Despite the criticism, the festival's predominantly young audience is expected to remain loyal to the event. In fact, for the 20th anniversary next year, 12,000 tickets have already been sold. Harry Jenner, the festival boss, personally inspected the area with journalists, demonstrating his commitment to maintaining the festival's high standards.
In conclusion, while there were challenges with waste management at the Frequency Festival 2019, the event was a commercial success and the organizers are taking steps to improve sustainability for future editions.
- To offset the large number of tents used by festival attendees and contribute to environmental-science efforts, the "Leave your tent, plant a tree" initiative was introduced at the Frequency Festival.
- Despite criticism about waste accumulation at the event, particularly in the Traisen river, a cleaning crew consisted of more than 100 people who successfully cleaned up the area within a shorter timeframe than usual.
- As part of efforts to promote sustainable-living and reduce waste, the Frequency Festival may consider adopting general event best practices for waste management and reduction, such as providing recycling and composting bins, using biodegradable or reusable items, and partnering with waste management companies.
