Cape Town to host SA’s first biodegradable festival this February

The Cape Town Biodegradable Festival (CTBF) will be held on 29 February 2020 at De Waal Park in the Oranjezicht suburb of Cape Town.

It is reported that young people from around the world have joined forces to launch South Africa’s first biodegradable festival, as the race to counter the effects of climate change intensifies.

“Everything began with the desire to produce a festival rooted in current plastic and environmental issues, to start from scratch the design and production of an ephemeral event with a key question: ‘What are our resources and what can we produce?'”

Now, the Cape Town Biodegradable Festival is set to raise awareness about current plastic issues, influence audiences, change behavior and participate in a grassroots movement in which any citizen can collaborate. 

The festival assumes an educational and cultural mediation role for audiences as well as professionals and artists with whom it surrounds itself, to carry through the music of social, economic, solidarity and awaken consciences.

“The goal is to influence consumers who use plastic on a daily to adopt a new lifestyle of using less plastic. Also, we want to develop local entrepreneurs to stimulate green economic growth in South Africa.”

It is also said that there are a bunch of volunteers who are spearheading the festival and each of them reportedly bring another skillset to the table.

In fact, the team now has eleven South African members and 8 members from Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Argentina respectively.

What to expect at the Biodegradable Festival

Festival-goers can expect a range of musical performances from Portia Luma and Twigz (among others), food and drinks (in the beer garden), an educational cinema screen, biodegradable products and a kiddie’s zone.

Ticket details

• Festival-goers can enter for free from 10:00 to 11:00
• Kids under 13 years of age can enter for free all-day
• General tickets are set at R50 per person and are available to purchase online at webtickets.

Reasons to go biodegradable

Bio-Tec Environmental says that plastic waste is a pervasive and global problem. Even as recycling rates rise, not all plastics can be recycled, and many end up in landfills. Biodegradable plastics help solve the problem of plastic waste and is a clean energy source.

The company states that landfill environments are filled with specific microbes and enzymes adapted to break down trash, landfills have been the standard solution for solid waste disposal for years. Now, landfills are being overloaded with plastic products that can take hundreds of years or more to biodegrade.

Consider the lifespan of these popular plastic products

• Plastic water bottle – 450 years
• Disposable diapers – 500 years
• Extruded polystyrene foam – over 5,000 years