Data That Is Changing Music Festivals A Waste-Sorting Line Directly on Site

Reusable cups are something many festivals are familiar with today. But Štěrkovna Open Music in Hlučín has gone further – and the world has taken notice. At the beginning of the year, the organisers received The Green Operations Award in Groningen, the Netherlands, as part of the prestigious European Festival Awards, the highest possible European recognition for ecological operations. Among hundreds of festivals entered from across the continent.

Sustainable Entertainment

What is behind it? Not green marketing, but a data-driven strategy. For several years, the festival has been developing the concept of Sustainable Entertainment, and over the past three years it has been building it in cooperation with VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava. Scientists from the Department of Environmental Engineering calculate the carbon footprint of the entire event – from transport and catering to energy consumption.

80% of Waste Sorted

The festival has its own waste sorting line directly on site. In 2025, 79.3% of all waste was sorted, with more than 1.34 tonnes of plastic, 0.21 tonnes of cans, 0.91 tonnes of paper, 2.38 tonnes of glass, 2.18 tonnes of biowaste and 220 electronic cigarettes separated directly within the festival grounds. Last year, the festival produced around 135 tonnes of CO2, with visitor transport accounting for the largest share. During the preparations and the event itself, more than 98,000 kilometres were travelled, a distance equivalent to two journeys around the globe. Per person per day, this amounted to 4.5 kg of CO2, a figure the festival now actively wants to reduce, including by supporting low-carbon transport and local suppliers. “We are not trying to look green. We want to know what the festival’s real impact is and reduce it systematically,” says the festival’s founder and director David Moravec.

Specific Measures

In addition to the sorting line on the festival site, there are also ceramic toilets without chemicals, reusable cups and information kiosks for visitors. Every detail is part of the system, not just a backdrop. “We analyse not only waste, but also transport, catering and energy consumption. Everything matters,” explains festival ecologist Jan Halfar.

Carbon Neutrality

The organisers have a clear ambition: carbon neutrality by 2028. “Thanks to precise data, we know where our greatest reserves lie. And that is exactly where we want to direct changes in the coming years. This year, we are also the first festival in the Czech Republic to seek A Greener Future certification, an international standard for festival sustainability,” adds festival director Matěj Ostárek.