How can we reduce the enormous amount of waste our industry generates when a show – or a set - wraps? A post-show set sale can help, but what about the leftovers after that – and bigger items like set pieces and construction flats? The sad reality is that it often gets thrown into dumpsters and hauled off to the landfill – NOT a sustainable solution to say the least.

We need to start planning for wrap in the budgeting and prep phase and find creative ways to reuse and recycle assets in a way that doesn’t add up to more garbage. That can mean planning to repurpose flats for future sets later in the schedule – using screws instead of nails to make dismantling and rebuilding walls easier, or looking for other productions who could reuse the sets or flats once you’ve wrapped them.

Keep it Green Recycling also has a novel solution: their Material Reuse Warehouse in Port Coquitlam. Instead of paying waste dumping fees, productions can instead pay a fee (cheaper than renting a bin) to take their leftover costumes, sets, props – you name it – to the warehouse, where it is stored until someone who needs it – other productions, schools, artists, theatre groups or charities – can take it for free! You can join their Material Reuse Facebook group and see new free items posted daily.

Reel Green BC also offers a Circular Marketplace Facebook group where you can post items to pass on or state what you’re looking for. Change means rethinking our old ways – don’t waste the opportunity to make a difference!

For more ideas on ways to effect change, check out DGC National’s DGC Green site as well as Creative BC’s Reel Green website for new industry initiatives, green vendors, events and courses you can take.

Tell me what your show is doing to be more sustainable! Do you have a green tip or success story you'd like us to share in a future Ebulletin? Send me an email at awilczur@dgcbc.com.