As its International Day of Zero Waste on March 30th, we would like to update you on the work being done behind the scenes to make the Octagon an environmentally responsible and sustainable theatre.

International Day of Zero Waste was created by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with the aim of increasing awareness of waste pollution, and to encourage sustainable production and consumption habits.

The Octagon Theatre's Environmental Committee champions and improves environmental sustainability across the organisation. We are actively committed to reducing our impact on the environment, with the goal to become carbon neutral by 2038. 

At the Octagon we are actively committed to reducing our waste, with an ultimate goal of zero waste to landfill. We know that the best way to reduce waste is to avoid creating it in the first place. Each department contributes towards this in different ways. 

When we create productions, we aim to use materials that have already had a previous life. We do this because every item has an impact on the environment and a carbon footprint. Making sustainable choices, such as extending the life of an item rather than buying new, reduces the environmental impact of a production. When a production has finished, we reuse, repurpose and recycle our sets, scenery, props, furniture and costumes.

For our latest production of Memory of Water, 82% of costumes and 78% of props and furniture were sourced from our stock, bought second hand or made from sustainable materials. At the end of the run, 90% of costumes and 97% of props and furniture were put back into storage ready to be reused again or rehomed, the rest were recycled. 

For this year's International Day of Zero Waste, the focus is on food. The UN states that:

"The world wastes food on a staggering scale. Every year we throw away about 1 billion tonnes of edible food, nearly one-fifth of all food available to consumers"

The Octagon is actively reducing food waste in our Kitchen & Bar. We do this by tracking food sales and stock levels to avoid over ordering. All food waste is then collected and processed by our waste contractor in Bolton.

All staff and visiting companies at the Octagon play their part in helping reduce food waste and have a responsibility to recycle their waste. We have separate food waste and recycling bins Backstage, in the Green Room, Dressing Rooms, Office and at our workstations. We also separately collect banana skins in the Green Room, these are then composted by one our colleagues for their garden. 

What can you do to help reduce waste?

• Reduce paper waste with e-tickets
• Return your reusable plastic glasses to the bar or into our liquid and plastic cup bins
• Recycle your waste in the appropriate bins
• Bring in your own reusable cup and save 10% on tea and coffee