Zero Waste Stations – Festival of Lights

How do you get people to sort their rubbish properly at a night-time festival? Simple – light it up!

The New Plymouth District Council Events Team came to us with a challenge. They wanted to improve waste sorting at the popular Festival of Lights, which attracts over 150,000 people every year. With such a huge crowd, effective waste management was essential.

Our Solution

We designed bright, hard-to-miss Zero Waste Stations. Each station is easy to transport, quick to assemble, and impossible to overlook after dark.

Key features include:

• A non-slip aluminium deck with adjustable feet to suit uneven ground

• Room for three wheelie bins and a staff member

• A bolt-on sign frame with hinged sides that fold flat for transport

The face of the frame features coloured ACM panels with vinyl-cut graphics and push-through opal acrylic letters. These are lit from behind with LED modules. To boost visibility, Neon Flex LED lighting runs around the coloured panels and frame edge.

Smart Build, Strong Design

For durability, we sourced a tougher aluminium extrusion to hold the neon strips securely. We also created a removable gear tray inside the frame. This housed the power supply, dimmer, and a master switch, allowing staff to turn the lights off when needed.

The Result

We built three glowing waste stations. Not only did waste sorting improve significantly, but many festival-goers thought they were part of the art! They even stopped to take photos. Another successful, sustainable win for the Festival of Lights team and this job was a FINALIST at the 2023 New Zealand Sign and Display Awards in the Illuminated Signs category.