The Canberra Times Night Noodle Markets has diverted more than 140 tonnes of waste from landfill since bringing sustainability partner Closed Loop on board in 2015. That’s the equivalent of about one blue whale’s worth of waste. Or 200 rhinoceroses. Those who visit The Canberra Times Night Noodle Markets will be joining the war on waste by attending the street-food festival as every stray noodle, leftover skewer, greasy serviette or empty tinnie of craft beer is hand sorted into the correct waste stream to ensure the most sustainable results.
As experts in event waste management and sustainability, Closed Loop has introduced systems and processes at The Canberra Times Night Noodle Markets to separate recyclable plastics, cans, bottles, paper, cardboard, compostable packaging, compost, oil, coffee cups and soft plastics.
Considered a leader in landfill diversion, Closed Loop is committed to building a circular economy by turning waste back into products that re-enter the local supply chain and helping businesses and consumers change the way they collect, treat and reuse waste.
Closed Loop Site Services manage event waste for the Night Noodle Markets in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane and Perth. Since bringing Closed Loop in to manage the cleaning and waste at the annual event, the Night Noodle Markets has increased its waste diversions from 10 per cent to over 82.6 per cent.
Closed Loop engages local suppliers such as GoTerra, which specialises in food waste bioconversion and processes all the food waste and compostable packaging from the markets. In 2020, that amounted to 4.6 tonnes.
The company also assist the Night Noodle Markets with its donation of food to local charities such as OzHarvest, providing education to vendors such as KorBQ and Donburi Station on what they can and cannot donate. In 2020 this equated to a whopping 700 kilograms of food donations, or 2,070 meals for those in need.
Dan Murphy’s Zero% Bar, Flying Noodles and May’s Malaysian Hawker are just a few helping eliminate waste from the festival by using compostable packaging and striving for a zero-waste target. Knowing those discarded leftovers or empty plates will be reused, shared, repaired or refurbished provides a further incentive to attend the free event, which is one of the most celebrated events on the city’s calendar.
By chasing the triple bottom line through its holistic waste management plan – featuring sustainable packaging, controlling inputs, upcycling waste, resource management, composting and innovative new waste collection and processing technologies – the event is demonstrating good business practices that keep sustainability top of mind. Punters at the popular street food festival will be pleased to know that their trash will be made into treasures such as upcycled garden beds, recycled roads, bike lane separators and recyclable packaging,
Along with the delicious Asian cuisine, guests will be able to enjoy live entertainment, lion dancers and pop-ups from partner brands such as the Aperol Spritz Kombi Bar and Gage Roads Beer Garden. There will also be a stall set up by Accor Hotels selling fairy floss, popcorn and coffee.
The Canberra Times Night Noodle Markets returns to the nation’s capital from Friday, February 25 to March 6, 2022. Register here for your free ticket.
