At Ballymaloe Festival of Food, we are passionate about protecting the environment and reducing our impact on the planet. This year, we have teamed up with Cork County Council and innovative partners like Eco Cups and My Gug to introduce a range of new sustainability measures.
From reusable coffee cups and using food waste to produce gas for our demonstration stages to dedicated recycling areas staffed by our friendly volunteers, we are making it easier than ever for everyone to do their part.

We will be selling glass water bottles with €1.00 per bottle being donated to Clean Coasts Ballynamona.

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All of our cutlery and foodware is made from compostable Vegware, helping us significantly cut down on landfill waste.

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We are constantly trialling and looking at new ways to reduce waste at our festivals.

Some ideas that we are working on:

A deposit system where each attendee pays a small deposit in exchange for a vessel...

Or do we ask our attendees to bring their own plates? What are your thoughts?!

Any ideas greatfully recieved. Email bree@ballymaloe.com

By adopting a reusable container system, we hope to showcase that it is possible to host a waste-free festival without compromising on attendee experience.

We encourage all festival-goers to 'Think Before You Bin' and to help us lead the way towards greener festivals.

With everyone’s help, we can create a vibrant and enjoyable festival that celebrates not only great food and community spirit, but also a deep respect for our environment.

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If you have any ideas on how we can increase our sustainabilty please get in touch, we would love to hear from you. bree@ballymaloe.com

My Gug is a food waste treatment system turning our festival food waste into gas that we can use on our demonstration stages.

We use the food scraps from our pop-up dining and food court along with the beer slops from the bar, put them into My-Gug and next thing you know we have gas.

Pop along and chat with Fiona and Kieran about My-Gug and how it can work in your environment.

Clean Coasts Ballynamona is a volunteer-led coastal organisation dedicated to protecting and preserving the marine environment.  

Through regular beach clean-ups, environmental education, and community engagement, the group works to support biodiversity,  reduce marine litter, its sources and promote responsible use of our coastline.  

Their work highlights the importance of protecting Ireland's marine environment and inspiring communities to care for the ocean.