Green Policy

Rock Oyster is committed to being as environmentally sustainable as possible and we are taking steps to help protect our beautiful land and produce a greener, cleaner festival for everyone.
The Festival is striving to further reduce all single use plastic, so plastic straws, plastic coffee cups, plastic bags and plastic condiments sachets are strictly not permitted.

Polystyrene, single use plastic and other non-recyclables are NOT acceptable. Please seek alternative packaging if you currently offer any of these items.

Traders found to be using contraband single-use plastic disposables will not be selected to trade at the festival in the future. We give preference to traders who use organic, seasonal and locally sourced ingredients.

We are always looking for new ways to look after the environment, and favour traders who are committed to sustainable practices.

Overview of Essential Policies

Traders MUST adhere to the compostable serve-ware and packaging guidelines (“biodegradable” is not acceptable)
NO single sachets, use only refillable containers are acceptable e.g. Salt, pepper etc.
Traders MUST use recycling and compost systems provided behind stalls
NO single-use plastic bags will be given out or sold at the event
NO single use plastics

Please note that failure to adhere to any of the above will affect applications to trade at future events.

Serve Ware / Packaging Policy

Food containers, packaging, plates and cutlery etc, must be compostable; drinks containers should be recyclable; recyclable plastic is preferable
Only sell cans or glass bottles, or/and encourage consumers to use own or re-usable bottles
No single use condiment sachets or offer from re-usable, refillable containers
Please note, compostable is different to ‘biodegradable’, which is not permitted
It is essential that everyone uses the correct serve-ware as small percentages of contamination can lead to large amounts of waste going to landfill rather than being composted.
Please note that serve-ware will be checked onsite before permission is granted to open

Permissible Serve Ware

Wooden / Vegware cutlery – spoons, forks and knives
Compostable paper and cardboard cups
Compostable paper plates and bowls
Wooden stirrers and compostable straws

Non-Permissible Serve Ware

No cornstarch / bioplastic cups allowed to be used on site (they are not compostable; Vegware is fine)
No expanded polystyrene
No plastic cutlery or straws
No aluminum foil packaging
No single sachet servings of salt, pepper, sugar or sauces. Refillable containers only.
No plastics of any type including PET, rPET or HDPE (with the exception of single-use plastic drink bottles)
No single-use plastic bags (paper bags only)

If you have any queries about whether you are using the correct materials contact your supplier and check that what you are buying conforms to the ‘EN13432’ standard.

Packaging Policy

Packaging should be kept to a minimum and consist of only compostable or the following approved recyclable materials:

Plastics: PET, RPET, HDPE
Uncoated* cards and plastics (starch-based compostable coatings are permissible)

Food Sourcing Policy

Rock Oyster is committed to responsible food sourcing such as reducing travel miles, environmental impacts and maintaining welfare standards, and managing our operations sustainably. As a trader you play a crucial role. We recognise that sourcing decisions affect margins, but we hope you will make every effort to source sustainably.

Menus should be based on seasonal British and local produce where possible. Required items not available locally should be grown within Europe
Preferably all tea, coffee, hot chocolate, sugar and bananas certified Fair Trade
Cleaning products must be non-toxic, biodegradable or environmentally friendly wherever possible within food hygiene guidelines.

Recycling Systems

We have ambitious recycling targets and we aim to dramatically reduce our waste to landfill in 2024. This requires separating all of our waste streams onsite. We realise it can be difficult as each festival you attend may have a different system. Because of this we aim to be very clear about what we expect, and the Green Team manager and Waste Management representatives will be around throughout the event to offer support.

Type of Waste & How to Recycle

Dry mixed recyclables (plastic, cans, tins): Please only use clear bin liners. Rinse food residue off before disposing. There will be DRY MIXED RECYCLING bins behind each cluster of stalls or individual stalls; these will be emptied by the onsite waste management company.
Cardboard: Break down / fold boxes.
Glass: Rinse any food residue. Glass bins will be available behind stall clusters or individual stalls.
Food waste, compostable serve-ware and compostable packaging: Bring your own temporary container/bin to decant into COMPOST bins behind stall clusters or individual stalls. Plastic liners are not to be used.
Cooking oils / fats: Store used oils/fats in original container or your own container with lid, then dispose into the OIL WASTE bin behind each cluster of stalls. If there is a waste drum for oil, decant into that.
Cigarette waste: All cigarette butts must be disposed of into cigarette butt bins provided, butt pouches, or into general waste bins once extinguished.
Other waste: Any other waste must be put into GENERAL WASTE bins.

We know that traders do not intend to have surplus food but are aware that sometimes this is unavoidable given the nature of the business. If there’s a chance you will have food remaining at the end of the festival and would like to be able to use it for a good cause, we will arrange for our food donation charity to collect it from you at the end of the event.

Thank you for your cooperation in helping us make this the cleanest, greenest Rock Oyster yet.