Innovative Waste Reduction Practices at Pyramid Festival

Rethinking waste: From prevention to regeneration

At Pyramid Festival, sustainability isn’t just a buzzword — it’s a core value that shapes every decision we make. While recycling is important, we believe true impact starts before waste is created. That’s why we prioritize prevention, reuse, and regenerative systems — and only then, recycling.

Here’s how we reduce waste in innovative and meaningful ways:

1. No single-use cups: Refill systems come first

Our first line of defense is prevention. That means eliminating single-use cups and packaging wherever possible. Pyramid Festival prioritizes on-tap beverages served in durable cups (CupUp System) that can be washed and reused hundreds of times. This system reduces packaging waste at its source.

We also encourage refill culture: bringing your own bottle, using communal refill stations, and choosing drinks that don’t require disposable packaging. Because once waste is created — even if it’s recyclable — its environmental cost has already been paid.

Refill beats recycling. Always.
According to Zero Waste Europe, reusing packaging can reduce environmental impact by up to 90% compared to recycling single-use alternatives.

2. Biofilters for showers, community kitchen, and bars: Closing the water loop

Water use at festivals is often irresponsible and pollutes the environment. But not at Pyramid. Our biofilters use natural materials and microorganisms to clean wastewater from shower use, community kitchen sinks, and bars, turning greywater into a nutrient-rich liquid suitable for irrigation or safe release into the environment.

This system not only reduces pollution but also educates volunteers and visitors about the preservation of water and soil quality by preventing pollution in practice.

3. Compost toilets: Waste becomes soil

We’ve replaced chemical toilets with dry compost toilets, which transform human waste into fertile compost through a natural decomposition process. These toilets don’t require water or harsh chemicals, and with proper maintenance, they don’t smell either!

The resulting compost is processed, regenerating soil instead of polluting it.

4. Recycling that works — But only after we reduce

Even with all our efforts, some packaging still enters the system — and that’s where effective recycling plays a role. At Pyramid Festival, over 80% of recyclable waste is properly sorted and collected thanks to a clear signage system, on-site education, and partnerships with local waste management providers.

But let’s be honest: recycling is the last step, not the first.

Waste prevention > Reuse > Recycling
This hierarchy is key if we want to shift from damage control to real sustainability.

At Pyramid Festival, we don’t aim for perfection — we aim for intention.

We’re not building a perfect system — we’re building a caring one.
One where waste is minimized, resources are respected, and people are part of the solution. That’s the kind of future we want to dance into.