Bass Coast is determined to become a leader in sustainability within the festival industry. We hope that all food vendors respect the environment and the local community.

Please note that PLA or other compostable bioplastics (cups, straws, utensils, etc.) are no longer accepted by BC compost facilities and are strictly prohibited. Only cardboard, paper, bamboo, or wood service ware is permitted - we have provided suggestions for providers below.

• ONLY compostable, non-bioplastic serving ware may be distributed by food vendors. Any vendor found distributing serving ware that is not compostable or biodegradable will be asked to cease selling until they can source the correct serving ware. 
• All napkins must be made from recycled, unbleached material.
• All utensils and compostable packaging are made of compostable paper, cardboard, bamboo, or wood.
• Look for the following BIP Compostable logo (see logo here).
• We encourage patrons to bring their own utensils and containers. We ask Food Vendors to serve food or drinks in/on a patron’s own reusable serving ware and encourage them to offer discounts for patrons who do so. There will be a sink in the food vending area for patrons to wash their dishes.
• All decorations and display materials must be reusable.

If you need any supplier suggestions, here are 2 companies that vendors use: 

• https://boxandlid.com/ located in Kelowna, will ship anywhere in BC 
• BSIBIO has provided some discounts for Bass Coast vendors. More information coming in 2026.

• Reduce: Be conscious of packaging materials and quantity when selecting products and supplies.  
• No individually wrapped items: i.e. condiments, seasonings.
• Remove non-recyclable/compostable packaging materials before serving them to customers to ensure proper disposal (e.g., do NOT serve coconuts with plastic wrap still attached). 
• No sales of beverages in glass bottles are permitted. 
• NO WATER BOTTLES TO BE SOLD ONSITE. Free water is available throughout the site. Beverages in aluminum cans are preferred to plastic bottles. No water in Tetra Paks can be sold. 
• Only chemical-free soaps should be used, and only in dishwashing sinks.

Vendors must sort their waste (landfill, mixed recycling (containers), returnables (bottles and cans), and compost) into bags and leave it behind their trucks for collection by the Green Team. Large mesh bags will be provided behind the food trucks for your flattened cardboard.

On Monday, before you leave, please drop all of your remaining waste/recycling off at the Green Team sorting tent (the large tent next to the dumpsters by the exit).

• Vendors are required to bring and manage their own kitchen waste receptacles, ensuring proper separation of landfill, recyclables (containers), and returnables (bottles and cans) into separate streams in their kitchen area before placing them into bags behind their trucks for collection. Compost bins and cardboard totes will be provided to each vendor (either individual bins or shared with your neighbouring vendor, depending on space and volume). Vendors are responsible for keeping their compost bins and cardboard totes free of contamination. The cardboard should be placed in the totes flattened and unbagged. 
• The vendor must sort and bag all operational refuse in CLEAR bags (except flattened cardboard boxes). Bags should be thick enough for the heaviness of your waste materials. For reference, a 55-gallon liner should be at least 1mil thick. Black, green or any other coloured bags will NOT be accepted. 
• Vendors are expected to bring enough waste supplies to last throughout the festival. Should extra supplies be required in an emergency situation, please contact the Green Team.

COMPOST (see poster here)

• ALL FOOD waste, including meat, seafood, dairy, and bones, and all vegetable and fruit scraps
• Soiled, unlined paper and cardboard 
• Production and/or Green Team-approved Vendor-provided plates, cups, and cutlery. If in doubt, it should have a BPI certification on it (this excludes compostable plastics).
• Untreated wood
• ALL WET, ORGANIC MATERIAL

RECYCLING (see poster here)

• PLEASE RINSE YOUR RECYCLING
• Clean hard plastic, #1-7 (including plastic cups), excluding beverage containers (these go into returnables)
• Plastic caps, tops, lids, and pumps
• Clean tin cans
• Aerosol cans (empty)
• All other metals, excluding aluminum cans (these go into returnables)
• Foil wrap and take out containers
• Dry, flattened, broken-down cardboard
• Dry, unsoiled paper

SPECIAL RECYCLING

The below items can be brought to the ECO HUB:

• Cigarette butts (these can be disposed of in the white butt bins. In all other cases, cigarette butts are landfill.)
• Batteries
• Electronic waste
• Vapes
• Empty propane tanks
• Metal
• Untreated wood

RETURNABLES (see poster here)

• PLEASE RINSE ALL RETURNABLES
• LEAVE LIDS ON
• Aluminium cans
• Plastic drink bottles
• Tetra Pak/Gable Top containers
• Glass bottles
• ALL BEVERAGE CONTAINERS

LANDFILL

• Chip bags & candy wrappers
• Styrofoam
• Soiled plastic bags & plastic wraps
• Soiled recyclables that cannot be cleaned
• ALL WET, DIRTY, UNCLEANABLE INORGANIC MATERIAL

• Do not dispose of kitchen waste in front of house bin stations. Bin stations are for attendee use only and are not for vendor kitchen waste.
• Please do not place trash receptacles outside the front of your vending space for patron use. This becomes mixed waste that needs to be sorted.
• Food Vendors are responsible for the recycling of any cooking oil off-site at a designated facility. 

We will be conducting greening inspections on Mon. July 13. There is a $200 refundable Leave No Trace deposit to ensure booth spaces are left clean. You must check out with your vendor zone manager when your space is ready for inspection. 

• If your booth is left in an unacceptable condition, you will not receive your deposit back. You may also not be allowed to vend at Bass Coast in the future. Leave No Trace.

• Vendors agree to use seasonal, organic, and local produce whenever possible.
• Vendors will use fair trade and organic food and beverages when available.
• Vendors will use fair trade, organic, free-range, and hormone-free meats whenever possible. 

FOOD RECOVERY

Please contact the Nicola Valley Food Bank to see if they would like to receive any unwanted food.

1 (250) 378-2282

If you have any questions regarding this agreement, please contact info@basscoast.ca

RESOURCES

No Compostable Plastics - Rules B.C.