Building a greener Carnival and uniting for sustainability

Tania Abbotto, Chief Operating Officer of the VRC, says: “As a major event organiser on the world stage, we take our responsibility to the environment and sustainability really seriously – from our planning all the way through our delivery and everything that happens on our precinct, we think about the environment first.”

Central to achieving that vision is the VRC’s partnership with Cirka, which manages on-site event waste through dedicated teams, streamlined logistics, and strong material segregation practices. Cirka is involved in planning from the very start, ensuring sustainability is considered throughout rather than added as an afterthought. Tania adds: “Having them engaged from the start means sustainability is considered throughout the planning process rather than being added later. That partnership approach has been really valuable in helping us achieve our sustainability goals.”

Cirka’s collaboration with social enterprise Superyard takes this a step further, diverting quality construction materials used in the structures built during the Melbourne Cup Carnival – timber, carpet, MDF, and more – away from landfill and into the hands of Victorian schools, community groups, and social enterprises. 

Daniel Rowe, EGM of Environmental Governance at Cirka, explains: “Superyard diverts construction material into organisations that provide mental health support. The initiative works closely to make sure that material is segregated, sent to Planet Recovery, and then allocated to charities that can use it for their projects.”

Together, Cirka and Superyard are helping the VRC demonstrate that a world-class event and genuine environmental leadership go hand in hand.