BY THE NUMBERS
Waste Diversion
In 2025, Outside Lands achieved an 89% waste diversion rate, keeping more than 330,000 pounds of material out of landfills. Through a comprehensive system of composting, recycling, and reuse, we’re able to dramatically reduce the environmental footprint of the festival while setting a high bar for large-scale events.
Every item discarded on-site is carefully sorted and managed to ensure it ends up in the right stream, with landfill as the last resort, not the default. Stop by or chat with our volunteers at waste stations across the park to learn how to sort properly and play a direct role in helping us push diversion rates even higher.
Refillable Water
Keep your reusable with you and refill it with free water stations conveniently located throughout the festival grounds! Whether you have your own bottle, canned water, or purchase a commemorative Outside Lands canteen or cup, you can fill freshly filtered water and get right back to the music.
Clean Energy
We’re redefining how a major festival is powered. Outside Lands now runs on a combination of battery-powered systems and R99 renewable biodiesel, significantly reducing reliance on traditional fossil fuels across our operations.
Behind the scenes, our artist compounds and light towers are powered by solar energy, demonstrating what’s possible when innovation meets intention. Together, these solutions help power a substantial portion of the festival footprint with cleaner, lower-emission energy sources, moving us closer to a more sustainable future for live events.
Paper & Steel Cups
We’re continuing to evolve our beverage program with sustainability at the forefront. Since 2025, we’ve expanded the use of paper cups festival-wide—designed to fully biodegrade within San Francisco’s industrial composting system, making them a lower-impact choice for the environment.
In select areas like Wine Lands and Beer Lands, reusable steel cups offer an even more sustainable option. Guests are encouraged to reuse their cups throughout the weekend—or bring back steel cups from previous years—to help reduce waste and keep the cycle going.
Compostables & Recycling
We source our cups, plates and silver from bamboo or paper. Across Outside Lands, food and beverage materials served throughout the festival can be fully composted in San Francisco. We recycle cardboard, cans, construction materials, cooking oil, textiles, and much more.
Reuse
We’re rethinking materials across the festival by designing systems that reduce waste before it’s even created.
We’ve transitioned to recyclable carpeting and durable, reusable astroturf throughout the grounds, eliminating the need for single-use turf and real sod in VIP areas. These upgrades not only reduce landfill waste, but allow key materials to be recovered, reused, and reimagined year after year.
Behind the scenes, we’re applying the same mindset to our operations. For example, instead of producing hundreds of single-use staff t-shirts, our security team is now outfitted with reusable vests—cutting down significantly on apparel waste while creating a more efficient, repeatable system for future festivals.
Carbon Reduction
We encourage fans to bike, walk, or take public transit to get to Outside Lands. For an easy, low-impact option, we offer a pre-paid, round-trip shuttle from Bill Graham Civic Auditorium to the festival’s south entrance in Golden Gate Park.
Free bike parking is available on the east and south sides of the festival during event hours. You’ll also find a Bay Wheels station near the main (north) entrance to make pick-up and drop-off quick and easy.
Get Involved
Sustainability at Outside Lands is a team effort. Here's how you can help:
Bring a reusable water bottle and use the free refill stations
Sort your waste — look for the compost, recycling & landfill stations
Take public transit, bike, or a shuttle to the festival
Pack out what you pack in — leave Golden Gate Park as you found it
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