The Long Time started as a vision of sustainability, community, and creativity. It has always been a testament to upcycling and reuse since most of the materials used to build it were rescued just before heading to the landfill. Our core value of doing more with less runs through everything we do as a guiding principle in not only construction, but also in event management, especially as it relates to waste created during our events – our largest environmental impact. We’re proud to share what we see as a core tenet of who we are and several ways that make a Saturday at The Long Time unlike any other.
FOCUS AREAS
Event WasteReducing overall waste creation
EngagementMessaging to all stakeholders
ConstructionUsing reclaimed materials
EVENT WASTE
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All vendors who are using cups are given reusable cups (supplied by The Long Time Texas, sponsored by El Rey Court). These cups are used by attendees for all drinks that don’t already come in their own containers (e.g. cocktails, wine, etc.) then deposited by attendees in bins to be washed on-site and re-used for the next event.
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Each piece of waste is hand sorted into four streams (Reusable Cups, Recycling, Compost, and Landfill). We do this to ensure we’re recovering as many Reusable Cups as possible, prevent contamination in our waste streams, and ultimately divert almost all (90% in 2025!) of our waste away from the Landfill.
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Attendees deposit their waste in well-marked, standardized stations around the grounds which are always the same and always have each waste stream represented (Reusable Cups, Recycling, Compost, and Landfill). Eliminating standalone waste bins or incomplete waste stations makes the Sorting step much easier.
The chart below will be updated throughout the season, our current diversion Rate is 90%.2026 Season in Waste
The chart below shows our 2025 season waste totals across our main 8 events where we diverted 90% of waste away from the landfill, achieving zero-waste for the year.