Recycling is again in the focus of EXIT Festival this year through numerous activities, and with the slogan “BE THE RECYCLING SUPERSTAR,” every visitor can be a “Superstar”, by taking care of their waste, i.e. its adequate disposal, so that it can later be used as a resource, thus contributing to the reduction of environmental pollution.
For the fifth year in a row, EXIT Festival and EXIT Foundation are implementing this campaign, through the Green EXIT platform, in cooperation with partners Ball Corporation under the programme “Every Can Counts”, HEINEKEN Serbia, Ekostar Pak, Coca-Cola, Solagro Smart Recycling and TOMRA.
Last year, through this activation, four times more packaging waste was collected than in 2023. In addition to the already existing recycling systems – recycling stations, a mobile system of packaging collection and reward activation for the Festival visitors – Smart Flex Return – was introduced for the first time.
It was this system that received the Innovation of the Year award at the third ESG Adria Summit, which was recently held in Porto Montenegro. The award went to Solagro Smart Recycling and project partners Ball Corporation and the “Every Can Counts” programme for this advanced solution in the field of collection and recycling of packaging materials.
“The effectiveness of this innovation is evidenced by the data from one of the largest music festivals in Europe, EXIT – Through the activation of “BE THE RECYCLING SUPERSTAR”, we managed to collect more than 40,000 units of used beverage cans and PET bottles, as well as about 15,000 cups,” said Nemanja Janić, CEO and co-founder of Solagro Smart Recycling.
This system was piloted in 2023 at EXIT, when only cans were included in the prize scheme, and last year it was applied for the first time to all packaging in which drinks are poured at the Festival.
How does the system work?
The Festival will feature branded mobile teams with backpacks that will collect cans, PET bottles and plastic cups. Promoters will issue vouchers and for 5 delivered empty containers, visitors will be able to exchange the vouchers for a prize – free Heineken beer or Coca-Cola Zero.
In addition to mobile packaging collection systems, the Festival will also feature TOMRA recycling machines where visitors will be able to hand over cans and PET bottles.
Visitors will be able to exchange the issued vouchers for the collected packaging for a prize at one of the replacement centres, and the exact locations of the replacement centres and recycling machines will be announced promptly.
All packaging waste collected through these activities will be redirected for recycling by the Ekostar Pak operator, which has been contributing to the improvement of the packaging waste management system in Serbia for 15 years.
For years, EXIT has been engaged in raising awareness and activities for the sustainability of our environment, such as: Life Stream, the guest appearance of the activist movement “Standing Rock” on the Main Stage of EXIT, Green Я:Evolution, Green Guerrilla, the panel Planet Earth Last Call, while in 2021 Green EXIT platform was launched with a focus on recycling actions during the Festival. In Amsterdam, at the ADE Green 2022 Conference for Sustainability, Innovation and Social Change in the Music Industry, EXIT joined Green Deal Circular Festivals association, which today counts over 50 European music festivals, that recognised EXIT as one of the pioneers in the event production.
