Sustainability Initiatives at the Dingle Food Festival 2024
Bear leat do babhla / Bring your own bowl
Working with our sponsors, we are endeavoring to make the Dingle Food Festival a “zero-to-landfill festival” in 2024.
The main aim is to reduce the amount of disposable packaging used over the weekend. We encourage all festival-goers to bring their own bowl and fork.
We will also offer the Dingle Food Festival bamboo pack (bowl, platter, and cutlery set) for sale, which can be used during the event and taken home for continued reuse.
Rental of Stainless Steel Bowls
To participate in the Taste Trail and markets, customers purchase Taste Trail tickets. To buy tickets, customers will need to show their own bowl, or they can rent one of our stainless steel bowls for €2 for the weekend.
We are purchasing 4,000 stainless steel bowls and sporks, to help eliminate packaging and plastic waste from the festival.
Each customer can rent a bowl and spork for €2 (with a €5 refundable deposit) for use throughout the weekend.
Rinse stations will be provided for a quick rinse if the utensils are not heavily soiled, or they can be exchanged for a clean set if needed. We will have a sanitation crew working all weekend to collect, wash, and return these items through a dishwasher at a local hotel.
We will produce a short video for vendors and customers to explain how to be part of our zero-to-landfill initiative. A compostable liner is permitted.
There are approximately 150,000 tastings over the weekend, so it’s a big challenge for the community, but one we feel will be embraced.
Waste Bins
All bin areas will be staffed to advise festival-goers on sorting waste correctly.
Our team measured and categorised all waste last year and will do the same this year to provide metrics on improved waste management. Removing disposable packaging from the tastings should make a significant difference.
HVO Generators
We will run our generators on ethically sourced HVO for the weekend, providing electricity for the market stalls.
We are transitioning most of our printed material to online resources, including our festival programs.
Green Transport
Our team are working with Bus Éireann and TFI to provide more buses over the weekend to reduce car journeys.
Sustainable Practices
In the past demos and workshops were part of our festival. We have now switched these to demonstrations on traditional skills and sustainable practices. This aims to emphasise the importance of learning from the past to inform the future.
Chef Conor Spacey will host a “celebration of farming, fishing and food” using local produce, lesser used parts of the vegetable pickled and fermented and lesser-known meat cuts and sustainable seafood. He will also deliver a workshop on minimising food waste over the weekend.
Jennifer Attard of MTU will also deliver workshops for children on limiting food waste. This will take place in the town park during the festival.
Micro biodigester manufacturer “MyGug” will set up a micro biodigester at the festival to convert all unavoidable food waste into gas instantly, which will be used for cookery demonstrations by local producers. This working model could be utilized by B&Bs, cafes, restaurants, and pubs to convert their food waste into usable gas for cooking. Information on available supports to purchase this system from the LEO, covering up to 75% of the system cost (up to a maximum of €10,000), will also be provided.
You can contact Martin or Ann for further info at the “Tourism and Hospitality Sustainable Energy Community.”
All of these measures will require funding, and we need sponsorship to support this initiative. We are working with Kerry County Council, Fáilte Ireland, and Údarás na Gaeltachta and are seeking an industry partner.
For any further information, contact Martin at info@dinglefood.com or 0879177700.
