First festival in Australia to eliminate disposable bottled water


The Caloundra Music Festival has taken the next step in creating a sustainable festival.

Initiating the BYO Bottle Campaign it is encouraging festival-goers to bring a re-usable water bottle and refill it during the festival.

Its vision in creating a sustainable festival includes the protection of our unique beachside location by implementing environmentally sustainable policies across the festival.

“By not selling disposable bottled water it will reduce the accumulated waste in the festival site by approximately 20,000 bottles over the four-day event,” Sunshine Coast divisional councillor Tim Dwyer said.

“Festival-goers will have the option of a free tap water refill or a spring water refill at less than half the recommended retail price of a bottle of water.

“We hope this campaign will encourage other festivals to follow suit across the country.”

How it’s going to happen:

  •  CMF is asking all festival-goers, crew and artists to bring a re-usable water bottle to the festival.
  •  Multiple refill stations will be available across the festival site.
  •  Not selling bottled water across the festival site.
  •  Reef Check Australia will host water refill stations. Chilled and filtered spring water will be available to purchase from three site locations.
  •  Unitywater Hydration Station will have town water on tap FREE for festival-goers.
  •  Providing quality re-usable bottles for sale, for those who forget to BYO.
  •  Water refill backstage for artists and volunteers.

“Water sold in plastic bottles is a source of litter and greenhouse pollution. In most cases it is completely unnecessary - and a scam. Bottled water costs about 1000 times as much as the safe, clean, tasty water available out of a tap in most places in Australia. Caloundra Music Festival is leading the way by not selling disposable water at the festival and encouraging festival goers to bring their own re-usable water bottles.” ACF President, Professor Ian Lowe

“We applaud the Caloundra Music Festival for their continued efforts to build a bigger, better and more environmentally sustainable festival, year after year. We believe that every action can make a difference and the cumulative impact of saving 20,000 plastic bottles from making their way into landfill and waterways is a huge achievement. What an amazing example of the power of our choices.” Jodi Salmond, Reef Check Australia

“This is really the initiative we need to spread awareness of plastic pollution and create behavioural change that will have lasting benefits for our environment and particularly our oceans. Marine debris is such a massive problem for our oceans.”  Jacki Boyce, Australian Marine Conservation Society