POMMERY Dorset Seafood Festival has announced it has joined forces with the Dorset Waste Partnership in a bid to be cleaner and greener.

The Echo-backed festival, which is running for the 8th year in a row, will be held next month and organisers are hoping to deliver a more sustainable and eco-friendly event.

Each year as the festival gets more and more popular and more visitors flock to Weymouth harbourside, there is an increasing amount of litter that organisers have to deal with and are hoping this year's event

In line with this mission for a quality and sustainable festival, organisers have teamed up with the DWP ensure that the busy festival site is not only clean and tidy but that the recycling process improves.

Paul Mills, operations manager for the festival, said: “With 50,000 visitors enjoying champagne and seafood from nearly 100 stands, it’s my job to make sure that the festival environment is well cared for.

“The DWP has an impressive record in reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfill, an important consideration for us when dealing with the tonnes of mixed waste generated at the festival.

“Together, we hope to provide a cleaner, greener festival for our sponsors, exhibitors and visitors to enjoy, leaving them to concentrate on having fun and raising funds for The Fishermen’s Mission.”

In addition to the DWP involvement, the organisers are also working closely with Comax UK who are the official suppliers of recyclable and bio degradable catering disposables to the festival this year.

Comax UK is also sponsoring the sustainability awards, launched to reward exhibitors using regional and seasonal seafood. This is in line with the Festival’s ethos of trying to get seafood lovers to eat what’s local and supporting their fishermen.

Bill Davidson, head of strategy at DWP said: “We are delighted to be supporting one of Dorset’s most successful events. It is really important to see recycling and sustainability are high on the agenda.

“As councils working together, we are committed to supporting the local economy and provide commercial waste advice and services to businesses and events across the county.”

In addition to the array of local seafood stands, visitors this year can get ‘hands on’ in the Jurassic 360 ‘How To’ Zone, as well as sit and dine in the ‘Hive Beach Cafe at Finn Square’ pop up restaurant.

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