Elike Saviorg, who is responsible for sustainability at the Song and Dance Festival, said on Vikerraadio that attendees can get free drinking water with their own bottles, "green ambassadors" will assist visitors on the grounds, and the event will test innovative biodegradable bags made from wood industry residues.

"This year as well, reusable dishes will be used at the Song Festival. All containers, cups, plates, and cutlery are reusable. A one-euro deposit must be paid for them. After returning the dishes, the full deposit is refunded," Saviorg said.

The biggest logistical challenge is feeding the almost 40,000 performers every day. "For performers, we use soup bowls and trays from Pandipakend, and in the visitor area, reusable dishes from Ringo," she noted.

A new option this year is to donate the deposit from Ringo's reusable dishes to the cancer treatment fund. "Special boxes have been placed at the exits from the event grounds where dishes can be placed," said Saviorg.

At the Youth Song and Dance Festival last year, waste was reduced by 18 tons compared to the prior celebration. Saviorg said most of the savings came from the use of reusable dishes.

Green ambassadors will also be in attendance this year. "They help visitors during the festivities with waste sorting and resolving all kinds of practical issues. They know where to get free drinking water and can direct people where to return their dishes."

Attendees do not need to purchase drinking water, as the grounds are equipped with special drinking water tanks. "There are both fixed taps and drinking water tanks. You need to bring your own bottle, and the water is free on-site," Saviorg explained.

Cigarette butts will also be collected in a special container. "We're collecting the butts for the Fila brand, which will turn them into filament for 3D printing."

Experience from previous celebrations shows there will be a lot of leftover soup.

"Until now, it has gone to biodegradable waste collection points. This year, in cooperation with the Food Bank, the leftover soup will be donated to social housing. The process is quite intense because food that has already been heated must be distributed very quickly. We hope to save several tons of soup this way," she noted.

When catering ends in the evening, the Food Bank arrives and takes the soup to social housing, where it is immediately distributed to people for consumption.

Waste is also sorted on-site. "This applies to both the visitor and vendor areas. For collecting biowaste, we are using a new type of biodegradable bag made with 15 percent lignin, a byproduct of the Estonian wood industry. This is a test project for this year," Saviorg explained.

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