Tomorrowland risks €2 million fine for sticking with disposable cups

Tomorrowland will not be using reusable cups on the festival site this year, despite not being granted an exemption. By refusing to comply with the law, the festival risks a fine of up to 2 million euros.

Since June last year, drinks at events in Flanders can only be served in reusable materials. In 2023, Tomorrowland successfully applied for an exemption because it still had disposable cups in stock.

Tomorrowland did the same this year. But from 2024 onwards, an exemption is only granted if organisers prove that reusable cups would not provide an environmental benefit in their case. Flemish Environment minister Zuhal Demir refused granting the exemption three times, saying the festival had not provided enough evidence.

"Tomorrowland is a fantastic festival that is also a small multinational. With a name like that, you should be a champion of good environmental policy," Demir said last month.

Two million euro fine

The organisers have now decided that while they will use reusable cups backstage and in VIP areas, it is not feasible to do so across the entire festival site. They also argue that they still have a stock of over three million disposable cups that they plan to use up.

The festival risks a fine of up to two million euros. "We were hoping to get another exemption because we had argued our case well," Tomorrowland spokeswoman Debby Willemsen told De Tijd. "When that didn't happen, it was too late to change our plans. We are now waiting for the invoice."

"It was too late to change our plans. We are now waiting for the invoice"

Other festivals, such as Rock Werchter, have successfully implemented a reusable cup system. But organisers remain critical of the legislation. "The changeover has a huge impact, both logistically and financially. It costs us an extra €1 million," Nele Bigaré of promoter Live Nation told VRT NWS earlier this week.

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