Just as vibrant, green, diverse in festival site, too

Look out, waste and water bottles: the Caloundra Music Festival elves are on the attack.

This year, the festival will host water refill stations for festival-goers to charge their bottles – with all proceeds going to local groups which look after our waterways.

Hosted by Reef Check Australia, the system will keep the crowds safely hydrated while cutting down on the number of wasted water bottles which would end up in landfill.

And that’s just the start; stalls onsite will be restricted to using biodegradable bags and drinking straws, detergents and cleaning fluids, with a ban on glass.

Patrons of the festival will know how to get their water and other services via signage made from recycled and reclaimed materials, which can be used in subsequent festivals, too.

The initiatives, created by a small team from the University of the Sunshine Coast Volunteer Environment Committee, have been congratulated by local councillor Tim Dwyer.

"We are proud of our green, sustainable credentials here on the Coast," Cr Dwyer said.

"This is a great opportunity to showcase these values to a big crowd of visitors to our region and send a message that we take sustainability seriously.

"Whatever waste is left here after the festival is only going to end up in our landfills and we are already committed to reducing that toll across the region, so why not retain that philosophy on the site, too?"

Cr Dwyer also paid special tribute to local sewing guru Leigh McRae, who has used recycled and reclaimed material to create signage that can be washed and used year after year.

"This will help eliminate the need for the likes of corflute signage completely from the festival," he said.

The Caloundra Music Festival gets under way on Friday, September 28, while the Caloundra Fringe Festival starts this Friday.

Visit Caloundra Music Festival website and Caloundra Fringe Festival website for more details.