Ottawa Bluesfest is Green

For the past four years, the Ottawa Bluesfest organization has been recognized by the Recycling Council of Ontario with an  Award for Waste Minimization.


In response to the positive feedback from the public for their greening efforts,  RBC Bluesfest organizers will continue working with sponsors to maintain specific greening initiatives.

An additional greening tactic for RBC Bluesfest is the use of an innovative recycling receptacle, known as the ClearStream CycleMax. Field studies have proven that the ClearStream is extremely successful in the recovery of recyclable materials and greatly reduces the amount of litter sent to landfill sites. The ClearStream CycleMax utilizes a clear bag that is re-usable. The transparency of the bag discourages contamination by non-recyclable items and allows attendees to appreciate the direct result of their participation in local recycling efforts.

RBC Bluesfest ‘Greening’ Statement

Ottawa Bluesfest is a non-profit, charitable organization that is committed to significantly reducing the source of all on-site waste products and monitoring and improving the collection and management of these products. RBC Bluesfest organizers will strongly encourage all suppliers, partners, and fans of the festival to follow their lead in this endeavour.


Greening the Fest

Organizers will also encourage people to bicycle to the event by providing supervised bike parking.

RBC Bluesfest continues to utilize compostable beer cups made from corn. Of the more than 200,000 cups that are used, 99% are separately disposed of without harming the environment.

The festival has an ongoing partnership with Canadian green fuel pioneer Rothsay Biodiesel to use biodiesel fuel to power the festival’s on-site generators.

RBC Bluesfest also has a comprehensive recycling program in place to minimize waste created by the event. And finally, the festival is pleased to announce they will be using environmentally friendly cleaning products throughout the festival site.

To better manage these greening programs, RBC Bluesfest recruits volunteers for its ‘Green Team’ to inform patrons on best practices to participate in these initiatives.

“RBC Bluesfest recognizes that everyone has a responsibility to reduce their carbon footprint. By working towards this goal, the festival hopes to lead by example,” says RBC Bluesfest’s executive director, Mark Monahan. “Our hope is that this catches on with other events as well.”


Water Stations

Do you have an upcoming event or festival and need an easy way to get water to hundreds or thousands of people? Save plastic water bottles from the landfill and rent our water station! Our water stations are available for rent year round, but please book early to ensure they are available for your event. Contact us for more information.