Single-use plastic banned in Eurovision fan zone

The Eurovision village is situated at Liverpool's Pier Head

Single-use plastic has been banned in the fan zone at the Eurovision Song Contest as part of Liverpool's action on climate change, the city council has said.

Liverpool is hosting the competition on behalf of 2022 winners Ukraine on 13 May.

All vendors in the official Eurovision village at Pier Head have signed up to provide recyclable materials only.

Liverpool City Council said it was also monitoring the sustainability of the entire event.

The Eurovision village near to the M&S Bank Arena staging the international song contest is estimated to be hosting events for 15,000 people during the festivities.

The council said visitors to the fan zone would not be allowed to bring food and drink into the site and it was being policed at the entrance, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Water stations have been provided so people can take refillable bottles and the bar will hand out vessels manufactured from plant-based polymer.

All waste will be recycled off site on a daily basis, the city council added.

The grand final of the song contest will be broadcast live on television to millions of viewers around the world, on big screens in cities across the UK and for the first time in cinemas.

The Eurovision Song Contest is being held in Liverpool after last year's UK entrant Sam Ryder finished runner-up to Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra.

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine prevented the winning country from hosting the 2023 contest, organisers instead said the UK would stage the show on their behalf.