Not proud of Pride recycling
6 August 2008
Brighton and Hove City Council must provide better support to Pride organisers to improve waste facilities at next year's event.
Following this weekend's Pride, Green councillor Amy Kennedy is calling on the council and Pride organisers to radically improve waste and recycling facilities for next year's event.
She said: "As the Green councillor for Preston Park, I would like to congratulate the Pride team for a fantastic Pride 2008 under Lesley Burns' inaugural Directorship.
"Despite the damp weather for the parade, I can honestly say I've never seen so many happy faces on Brighton's drizzly streets.
"The party in the park was excellent too.
“However, I was disappointed that, once again, waste was not properly managed at the event or in the clean-up afterwards."
The majority of bins and skips at the event in Preston Park were 'come one come all.' Although some of the litter on site has been sorted for recycling, much is destined for landfill.
Pride organisers told Councillor Kennedy that they were keen to improve recycling rates for this year's event, and had been in discussions with the local authority regarding on-site composting for food waste and other measures.
However their bids for a small grant to fund this work were turned down by council officers.
Cllr Kennedy said "It's not good enough that the Pride team weren't given the support they needed from the local authority this year.
“They had some innovative ideas which could have set a standard for events in the city, and I hope that it will be a different story for next year's Pride".
Many festivals such as Glastonbury now provide waste stations comprising separate bins for recyclables, and are achieving recycling rates of 50%-plus for waste produced on sit
Councillor Kennedy continued: "As a member of the Culture, Recreation and Tourism Committee, I requested last year that officers investigate ways of making events across the city more sustainable.
“I know that a lot of work is now being done by the local authority in this area but, sadly, this year's pride saw many tonnes of rubbish go straight to landfill, which could easily have been recycled."
Councillor Kennedy has also received numerous complaints from residents regarding anti-social behaviour in Preston Park during the event.
She said: "While I understand that there were more toilets than ever at this year's Pride, I was still very dismayed to see people urinating in the bushes, particularly along the paths adjacent to Preston Park Avenue.
“This is anti-social behaviour which not only causes offence to many people, but also damages the ecology and wildlife in the park."
She cited Glastonbury again, who have for many years employed a successful 'two-pronged' approach to this problem,
“This would comprise temporary hoardings lining sensitive areas and teams of 'green police' stewards who patrol the hedgerows, mostly garbed in fancy dress, using humour and gentle public remonstration to deter those caught in the act, and would-be offenders.
Councillor Kennedy said: "This is a light-hearted approach.
“It has worked wonders over the past decade in massively reducing human waste pollution into the water table on the festival site, and attendant environmental damage.
“ I would be very interested to know how the Pride team plan to obviate this problem for next year's Pride."
Notes to editors:
Media: for more information please contact Lizzie Deane Green Party External Communications Coordinator on 07931 231390.[ENDS]
