Environmental focus at night market
Enforcing biodegradable packaging, handsorting rubbish and turning their backs on single-use cups is helping the team behind a popular Asian food festival cut their waste to nearly zero.
Stallholders at the Christchurch Night Noodle Markets will follow in the footsteps of November’s Auckland event, which managed to get 95 per cent of all event waste composted, recycled or re-used.
Emulating the busy and bustling back streets and hawker-style fusion flavours of Singapore and Hong Kong, the Night Noodle Markets smorgasbord will open on Waitangi Day to coincide with UB40’s 40th anniversary gig at North Hagley Park.
Popular demand called for an extended run of the 12-night festival, which will close on February 17 this year. Gates open at 4pm daily, except on Saturday, February 16, when food will be available from 1pm.
Stuff events director David Blackwell said introducing eco-friendly packaging and improving waste management systems last year meant three quarters of the of the 58 tonnes of waste generated from the three events in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch escaped landfill.
This time, all drinks would be served in recyclable cans – or pineapples – and waste would be hand-sorted into the right bins, he said. Removing single-use cups saved more than 30,000 cups from landfill last year when more than 380,000 people attended the events across the three cities.
Event manager Vanessa Fleming said they hoped Christchurch would emulate the ‘‘amazing’’ results in Auckland but because the Christchurch City Council used a stricter guide, it was hard to match. In Auckland, every product had to be compostable as opposed to Christchurch where they also needed to be biodegradable, she said.
‘‘Just one plastic cup means the whole skip will be rejected so we need to be really careful,’’ Fleming said.
Last year, 65 per cent of waste was able to be recycled or reused.
‘‘Don’t expect to see things like plastic straws and decorative umbrellas this year – we’re really cutting down on waste and eliminating things we don’t need.’’
The Night Noodle Markets was nominated for Best Sustainable Event by the 2018 New Zealand Events Association, and Blackwell said making the event and environmentally-friendly was a major focus.
He said organisers had made ‘‘real headway’’ since Christchurch’s first Night Noodle Markets in 2016, and were working closely with the council to minimise the environmental impact.
Bangkok Street Thai and Bao Brother’s Eatery join the line-up of international vendors this year, along with fan-favourites Hoy Pinoy and Gelato Messina. Fusion dumplings, fresh-off-the-grill BBQ skewers, poke bowls and eastern desserts will all be on the menu.
There are two entrances to the event, one on Park Tce and one on Armagh St. It is free to enter and open to all ages, plus dogs on leashes.