Tomorrowland Fined €2m For Using Disposable Cups

Tomorrowland, 1 of nan world’s biggest physics euphony festivals that took spot this summertime successful Antwerp, Belgium, from July 19th to July 28th, is facing a 2 cardinal euro good for utilizing disposable cups. The event’s organisers disagree pinch nan ruling.

Belgian officials opportunity nan organisers of nan physics show had committed an biology crime by utilizing nan disposable cups, nan Belga News Agency reported.

According to nan Flemish Environmental Agency, reusable cups were only utilized successful circumstantial areas of nan festival, specified arsenic nan VIP space. In Flanders, nan Dutch-speaking portion of Belgium, arena organisers must comply pinch biology rules that connote they must service drinks successful reusable containers aliases those made of mostly-recycled material. The rules person been successful spot since June 2023.

Civil aliases criminal matter

A spokesperson for nan Flemish Environmental Agency told Euronews that a judge must now determine whether Tomorrowland’s lawsuit will beryllium handled arsenic a criminal aliases civilian matter.

On apical of nan penalty, which could magnitude to 2 cardinal euros, officials said that Tomorrowland could look an further interest to offset nan costs savings nan organisers achieved by utilizing nan disposable cups.

“Our inspectors person estimated nan costs Tomorrowland has saved by not complying pinch nan rules,” said nan Flemish Environmental Agency. “This ‘capital gain’ is provisionally estimated by nan supervisors…to beryllium much than 1.5 cardinal euros. This tin beryllium recovered and is successful summation to nan fine.”

While nan lawsuit is pending, nan Flemish Environmental Agency said that nan charismatic study against Tomorrowland cannot beryllium released. Tomorrowland organisers told Euronews they person not yet seen nan report.

Tomorrowland lays retired its arguments

“In 2022, we purchased cups for usage during Tomorrowland successful nan summers of 2023 and 2024, which was allowed nether nan regulations successful spot astatine that time,” nan show explained successful a statement.

They based on that nan leftover banal amounted to 3 cardinal cups, which would beryllium environmentally detrimental, and that “switching wholly to a strategy of reusable cups successful 2024” would beryllium nan solution.

“It is important to emphasise that Tomorrowland does not spot itself supra nan law,” nan show said, “but we find it important to execute effective biology benefits complete definite principles”.

Saying they do not person nan abstraction to banal cups aliases nan capacity to lavation reusable ones, they explained that reusable cups return up much retention abstraction than disposable cups, and that they besides correspond hygiene issues.