Woodford Folk Festival 2025–26 saved a record-breaking 120,000 containers from landfill, smashing the previous year’s collection of 90,000 containers.
As part of its commitment to keep its waste footprint to a minimum, Woodfordia Inc, the organisation behind the festival, has partnered with Containers for Change since 2022 to recycle more than 340,000 containers.
Woodfordia has reinvested more than $34,000 in 10-cent refunds into its environmental programs; funding on-site conservation efforts, nursery operations and their volunteer‑led Treehuggers and Conservatree projects.
More than 200 dedicated Containers for Change collection bins were placed throughout the festival this year, with all eligible containers processed by local operator Express Recycling at their Burpengary depot.
Woodfordia Site Manager Chris Shervey said this year’s record was powered by improved waste operations and the commitment of festivalgoers and volunteers alike.
“Thank you to our loyal festivalgoers for doing the right thing because it’s the right thing to do, and to our more than 110 Garbology volunteers who put their heart into helping patrons recycle correctly,” Mr Shervey said.
“From our ‘Container Reclaimers’ retrieving misplaced containers, to our ‘Magpies’ playfully guiding people to use the correct bins, every volunteer helped make this our most successful year yet.”
Trevor Evans, Interim CEO of Container Exchange, the not-for-profit organisation that runs Containers for Change, said the festival had once again shown how seamlessly container recycling can integrate into major events.
“Woodfordia is a standout example of how out‑of‑home container collections can create real environmental, social and economic impact,” Mr Evans said.
“By turning container refunds into on‑ground conservation projects, Woodfordia is closing the loop in a very tangible way. It’s community‑driven circularity at its best and exactly what Containers for Change is designed to support.”
Nikki Mullen, Manager at Express Recycling, said the result reflected the strength of the ongoing partnership between Express Recycling and Woodfordia, which hosts the largest gathering of artists and musicians in Australia.
“Woodfordia genuinely leads by example when it comes to sustainability,” Ms Mullen said.
“Their systems, volunteers and culture make large-scale recycling work, and we’re proud to work closely with their team year after year to help turn community effort into real, measurable environmental outcomes.”
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