Organizers celebrate success of program to solve major issue at music festival: 'It's a physical thing'

This year, Miami's Ultra Music Festival sustainability program has prevented 50 tons of waste from ending up in landfills and avoided using millions of single-use plastics. 

Its eco-friendly efforts haven't gone unrewarded; VolunteerCleanup.Org, an environmental organization, gave the festival an A grade when it adopted similar practices in 2019, reported Billboard. 

Vivian Belzaguy Hunter, director of Ultra's sustainability program, was overjoyed to hear the news of the rating, but not everyone was excited, Billboard reported. In 2019, when the festival was forced to relocate to Virginia Key, an ecologically sensitive island, some environmental groups expressed concerns about the potential impact on the ecosystem. 

However, when Hunter started Mission: Home, a sustainability initiative, she made sure it would have a positive impact. The team focused on several goals, including reducing single-use plastics, incorporating recycling, and cleaning up trash on the island. They eliminated waste that had accumulated since the 1970s, exceeding the organization's expectations. 

When Ultra returned to Miami this year, Hunter ensured that sustainability remained a top priority. Throughout the five festivals that have taken place since 2019, Mission: Home has diverted nearly 400,000 pounds of waste from landfills. A large figure considering the event only runs for three days a year.

"Waste is a thing we can all see is a problem," Belzaguy Hunter told Billboard. "It's a physical thing that actually affects the customer experience. To me, there's nothing worse than going to a festival and not being able to dance because there's trash everywhere." 

The initiative is tackling waste reduction, nature conservation, climate action, pollution prevention, and community awareness campaigns, with single-use plastic elimination being the main focus. Only the plastic bottles of water and sports drinks, along with champagne flutes, will be allowed. Additionally, according to Billboard, all items sold by food vendors must be compatible with backyard composting. 

The efforts have been a huge success so far, with Mission: Home estimating that, since 2019, it has eliminated the use of nearly 1 million plastic cups, 1.2 million plastic bottles, and 450,000 plastic straws. By keeping plastic out of the festival, Biscayne Bay and all the wildlife and plants it houses will be better protected. 

"My number one priority is making sure I'm not leaving a physical impact on this place," Belzaguy Hunter told Billboard.

Since 2019, the sustainability program has teamed up with Clean Vibes, a waste management company for outdoor festivals, per Billboard. It handles Ultra Music's recycling and composting programs, as well as other waste diversion efforts, which include items such as wood, furniture, glass, and food and drink containers.

Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to recycle old clothes and electronics? Giving me money back 💰 Letting me trade for new stuff 👕 Making it as easy as possible ⚡ Keeping my stuff out of landfills 🗑️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"When we first started working Ultra in 2019, we had numerous people laugh at us when we said we were going to recycle at a large event in Miami," Clean Vibes owner and manager Anna Borofsky told Billboard.

"They told us no one can successfully get people to recycle in Miami. We were very proud to prove them wrong, and to continue to prove them wrong year after year while helping the sustainability program continue to grow and evolve." 

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