The jazz effect

Authors forward
This analysis is written in the context of the global problem of marine litter and specifically plastic
pollution. According to some predictions there will be more plastic in the water than fish in a few
years. Multinational companies pour millions of dollars into well publicized ideas to “clean the
oceans of plastic” or develop products made from plastic debris that is “harvested” on the open
ocean. Giving the casual observer an impression that “everything is going to be ok” or that the next
“big idea” is just around the corner and once we figure out how to turn the garbage into money the
problem will be solved.
But the problem is money, isn’t it? In Switzerland, the water tower of Europe, in the shadow of
Nestle world headquarters on the shores of Lake Geneva you can expect to find trash floating in the
water and on every beach along 142kms of coast line. If you were to add all that trash up it would
total between 700’000 and 1’200’000 pieces of garbage on any day of the year1
. There is so much
garbage in our water that the number of Q-tips on the beach in Montreux is determined to a
certain degree by the discharge rate of the Rhone river2
. This in a country that has one of the
highest recycling rates in the world, where each garbage bag is taxed 3.5CHF and where most of the
city streets are swept clean every day.
The solution to the “plastic ocean” will not be found in the middle of pacific garbage patch, it is under
our city streets. For the most part the garbage in the ocean was made, purchased, used and
discarded on land. By renovating and expanding the capacity of storm water drainage systems and
water treatment plants to include filtering of solids the amount of trash that enters the water can be
significantly reduced. This technology exists today and could be put in place anywhere there is an
existing water treatment system.
Imagine that something useful can be produced from the garbage that is floating (and sinking) in the
ocean. Then the cost of material and ease of access would be central to any business development
scheme. Wouldn’t it be easier and cheaper to collect the raw materials (garbage) closer to the
source? Wouldn’t it be easier to exploit if you could predict material availability and price based on
known variables? How is it more efficient to scale up an enterprise or produce merchandise when
the raw material is floating around the ocean in unknow quantities? Imagine that in the future the
garbage collected from storm water systems could be exploited in the same way that old landfills are
currently exploited for metals and other resources.
hammerdirt
1
Based on the probability mass function of the lognormal distribution of 80 samples with μ= 1.68 and σ = 0.91
2
Regression of 52 beach litter surveys against the daily discharge rate of the Rhone, P= 0.00022, t-Stat = 3.97
Somebody needs to do this

Hammerdirt association, La Tour-de-Peilz 2016, all rights reserved
More questions? Contact hammerdirt association info@hammerdirt.ch
Introduction to the region and
the Montreux Jazz
Montreux Switzerland is a city on the south end of
Lake Geneva. Home to 25’000 people and part of
the region called “The Riviera Vaudois”, Montreux
and the towns within the communal border boasts
multiple luxury hotels, a casino, a convention
center, a sports auditorium, a railway junction for
trains to Gstaad, multiple private international
schools and a small ski resort. The lakeside
promenade is perhaps the most spectacular on the
lake, with a view on the Swiss Alps and the mouth
of Rhone river, the promenade or the “Quai des
fleurs” is adorned with a variety of trees and
flowers from all over the world. Not surprisingly
Montreux and the region have attained a certain
reputation with an elite class of tourists and event
organizers.
The most famous and and one of the largest
annual events is the “Montreux Jazz Festival”,
started in in 1967 by local resident Claude Nobs,
the Montreux Jazz has hosted the biggest names
in the music industry. Initially the Montreux Jazz
was housed in the casino and offered an intimate
setting for concert goers and performers. At
present the festival is housed at the Stravinsky
convention center and extends along the lakeside
promenade (situation map on next page). Temporary constructions extend out over the lake
creating unique experiences for the approximately 240’000 visitors (Jazz 2016). The Montreux Jazz
brings the world to Montreux and is an economic and cultural event that benefits almost all residents
of the region.
Introduction to hammerdirt and the Montreux Clean Beach Project
Montreux is also the home of the Montreux Clean Beach Projects (MCBP). The MCBP is a series of
projects by the hammerdirt association with the singular objective of quantifying the levels of aquatic
litter or visible pollutants on the lake shore and providing reliable and verifiable data to government
authorities, political and business leaders and civil society.
In the first year MCBP1 (2014-2015) lakeshore garbage was counted in liters and only specific items
were identified. This was changed in year two MCBP2 (2015-2016), the Marine Litter Watch
(MLW)3
classification system was adopted. The protocol requires the removal, classification and
counting of all pieces of trash on the shore. This method provides a very detailed data set, thus
allowing a more thorough analysis of the composition and quantities of garbage on the lakeshore.
3
Marine Litter Watch is a program by European Environmental Agency to measure the load of debris in coastal
environments. http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/coast_sea/marine-litterwatch
The Jazz Effect
An analysis of two years of beach
litter surveys on the shores of Lake
Geneva in the region of Montreux.
In total 14,473 pieces of garbage
collected in the region and on the
shoreline at different periods of the
year help identify root causes, items
of interest and most importantly
possible solutions.
Contents:
The layout and the litter surveys 2
Identifying the trend 2
Composition of beach litter 3
Different locations and pressures 4
Layout and price sensitivity 4
The evidence: Everybody benefits 5
The Montreux Jazz is not alone 7
Hammerdirt is an independent association,
no financial assistance has been received for
the beach litter surveys.

The layout and the litter
surveys.
Map 1 designates the location of
the Montreux Jazz Festival, MCBP
litter survey locations and the
zone allocated to vendors not
affiliated with the Montreux Jazz
Festival.
Identifying the trend
Year over year results for cleanup
operations at the Baye de
Montreux are displayed in charts
1 and 2. The year 2 surveys are
more sensitive to changes in
quantity of trash and therefore
reflect the density with greater
accuracy. It should also be noted
that when volume is used (year
one) objects that are larger will
increase the result but that
does not indicate “how many”
of an object you found.
To understand the difference,
think of how many candy
wrappers fit into a 35-liter trash
bag as opposed to how many 1
liter bottles fit into the same
size bag.
Even with these differences the
peaks in July and December for
both years is obvious as well as
the trough in January and
February.
Quantity is only part of the
story, the fact that there is
more trash on the beach
doesn’t say anything about
what the trash is, where it
came from or how it got there.
Certainly, not enough
information to find an
appropriate solution. For that
more information is needed.
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
11/24/14
12/11/14
12/18/14
1/3/15
2/21/15
2/28/15
3/8/15
3/21/15
3/29/15
4/5/15
4/12/15
4/19/15
4/26/15
5/29/15
6/7/15
7/7/15
7/12/15
Litersoftrashremoved
Chart 1: Survey results MCBP1 Baye de Montreux,
liters of trash removed Nov 2014 - July 2015, n=34
Qty Average
0
200
400
600
800
1000
11/23/15
12/4/15
12/10/15
12/17/15
1/7/16
1/19/16
2/11/16
3/24/16
4/14/16
5/28/16
6/28/16
7/10/16
7/16/16
Piecesoftrashremoved
Chart 2: Survey results MCBP2 Baye de Montreux,
pieces of trash removed Nov 2015 - July 2016, n=26
Qty Average
1
3
4
2
5
Official site of the Montreux Jazz
Managed by the city of Montreux
Beach litter survey locations
1.Baye de Clarens
2.Le Pierrier
3.Pierrier Sud
4.Baye de Montreux droite
5.Baye de Montreux gauche

Composition of beach litter
Chart 3 and Chart 4 display the
composition of the beach litter collected
at the same site on two different days.
On June 28th
650 items were classified
into 35 MLW categories (chart 4) and on
July 16th
880 items were classified into
41 MLW categories (chart 3).
The results were filtered for garbage that
is commonly associated with direct
littering from parties at the beach or
trash left by beachgoers and picnickers.
This includes objects like drink bottles,
plastic food wrappers, drinking straws,
cigarette butts and the like. The other
items were placed into a category called
“Everything else”4
.
On June 28th,
the part of the garbage on
the beach that is attributed to direct
littering is 33% of the total and on July
16th
that part is 81%.
On July 16th
there is more trash on the
lakeshore and a greater percentage of
that trash could be reasonably
attributed to visitors based on the type
of objects found.
Which one of these results is the
exception? Which is the rule? To answer
the question more thoroughly the same
criteria was applied to all results at the
Bayed de Montreux and then compared
to another set of results from the Baye
de Clarens.
4
The full classification can be seen in annex A
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
6/28/2016
montreuxrd
Chart 4:
Composition and
density of beach
litter Baye de
Montreux
June 28, 2016
pieces/meter
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
7/16/2016
montreuxrd
Chart 3:
Composition and
density of beach
litter Baye de
Montreux
July 16, 2016
pieces/meter
Everything else
Trash left by users

Different locations different
pressures
At the Baye de Montreux, the beach
litter is frequently composed of
objects that are abandoned by
beachgoers. June 28th
was the
exception at the Baye de Montreux
(chart 5). In contrast, the Baye de
Clarens is more frequently composed
of Items such as broken up
Styrofoam, broken plastic, and
industrial sheeting rather than fast-
food wrappers or drink bottles. (chart
6)
In this sense the Baye de Montreux is
unique. Of the 17 locations and 80
samples that comprise the study the
Baye de Montreux has the highest
density of litter left by beachgoers or
visitors. This despite the constant
work done by city employees to
evacuate the debris on the shoreline.
Most of the cleanup operations for
this project happened after city
workers had cleaned the beach.
Conclusion: The Montreux Jazz
Festival does have a significant effect
on the amount of litter on the
lakeshore. However, the problem is
pre-existing in Montreux. The
Montreux Jazz simply compounds
the problem and underscores the
need for appropriate, scalable
solutions throughout the year.
Solutions based on layout:
price sensitivity
The location map on page 2 identifies the
different areas of activity during the
Montreux Jazz. In the pink zone, all the
vendors are approved by the Jazz festival and
pay for the right to be near the music venues.
The yellow area is managed by the city of
Montreux, the rents are lower and there is a
wider variety of consumer goods available.
Beer is one of the most common beverages
sold and is available up and down the
promenade.
The management of the Jazz Festival has
adopted the policy of reusable glasses. Beer,
wine and certain cocktails are all served in a
reusable plastic goblets that are usually
marked with the logo of the jazz festival. The
deposit per glass is 2CHF and is refunded if
the user returns the goblet.
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
11/23/15
12/4/15
12/10/15
12/17/15
1/7/16
1/19/16
2/11/16
3/24/16
4/14/16
5/28/16
6/28/16
7/10/16
7/16/16
Density:pieces/meter
Chart 5: Composition and density of beach
litter, Baye de Montreux, n=26
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
11/24/15
12/2/15
12/8/15
12/16/15
1/6/16
1/23/16
2/10/16
3/24/16
3/31/16
4/7/16
4/14/16
5/10/16
5/17/16
Density:pieces/meter
Chart 6: Composition and density of beach
litter, Baye de Clarens, n=13

The city of Montreux has not adopted the
same policy. The independent vendors
installed in the yellow zone (location map) use
disposable cups for all beverages sold during
the festival. Furthermore, beer is 4CHF per
glass in the yellow zone as opposed to 5CHF
per glass in the pink zone. Thus, in the zone
managed by the city the beer is cheaper and
more convenient (no waiting in line to have
your 2CHF refunded). For moderate
consumers of alcohol price is important, given
products of equal quality, the average
consumer generally chooses the less
expensive option.
Conclusion: There is a 3CHF price differential
for two products of equal value within a
500meter stretch of the Jazz Festival. This
price differential is attained by a combination
of using single-use plastic cups and lower
rents. The cost of cleanup is assumed by the
city and a portion of the single cups finish in
the lake.
Solution: Extend the reusable cup program to
the entire promenade and fix the price of
alcoholic beverages with the Jazz Festival.
Given the volumes of beer sold at the
elevated price within the zone of the
Montreux Jazz it is unlikely that this action will
have a negative impact on sales. Market
research indicates that at equal prices
consumers prefer the ecologically responsible
option.
Solutions based on the evidence:
Everybody benefits
Image one depicts the status of the beach on the
morning of July 16th
. Image two depicts the garbage
after sorting and counting. The proximity of the
garbage to the lake cannot be understated.
By comparing image 2 with the results of the
inventory (chart 3 and annex A) clearly few of
the products on the beach come from the
Montreux Jazz. Many of the local businesses
are represented: such as Denner, Migros,
Mcdonalds and even single use cups from
Amstein.
As was stated in the introduction almost
everybody benefits from the Montreux Jazz
including local businesses.
Image 1: The Baye de Montreux July 16th 2016
Image 2: Trash sorted and counted Baye de Montreux July
16th 2016

As an example of the difference, image three depicts
the trash collected and sorted on May 28th
at the
same location, a day that had an average density for
the survey (chart 5). The difference in quantity
between image two and three is obvious, but the
origin of the trash remains the same. Drinks
purchased at the Denner market, ice-cream spoons
from Movenpick and a Mcdonalds container are the
the most identifiable objects.
The increase in quantity of trash from image three to
image two can be translated into an increase in
revenue for the local businesses and an increase in
value-added-tax (VAT) for the municipality.
Image four gives the same location at the time of the
survey on May 28th
. Besides the difference in garbage
on the shoreline nothing changes. Despite an annual
event that will attract at least 250’000 people the
number of garbage cans remains the same, there are
no ashtrays nor is there any preventive message at
this location during the Jazz Festival.
Conclusion: There is an increase in revenue across
the board for most businesses in the area including
payment of VAT but the infrastructure does not meet
the demands in terms of waste disposal or litter
prevention.
Solution: Local businesses and residents
need to be made aware of the current
situation and the quantities of garbage
that are being introduced into the lake
because of lack of infrastructure and/or
resources.
Together, local businesses, sponsors of
the Montreux Jazz and the local
administration could help adopt a
community based approach.
Establishing baselines and setting limits for the level of pollution allowed by any activity would be a
good start. Requiring event organizers (public and private) to produce a pollution prevention
program at each event and or support local pollution prevention programs would also be a key
indicator to visitors of the importance of the lake to the local community. Finally, encourage
residents to monitor the levels of pollution on the lakeshore, participate in biodiversity studies or
water quality monitoring year-round and use the data produced (like this document) to investigate
other innovative programs with measurable results.
Image 3: Trash sorted and collected Baye de
Montreux May 28th 2016
Image 4: Baye de Montreux May 28th 2016

The Montreux Jazz is not alone
It would be too easy to blame shoreline pollution on one of the biggest cultural event in the region.
Unfortunately, the problem exists at some level all year round, the amplitude follows the economic
rhythm of the city itself.
Hotel room sales are often
cited as one indicator of
the health of the tourism
industry. Chart 7 displays
the relationship of hotel
room check-ins5
and
garbage on the beach in
Montreux for November
2015 to July 2016.
The biggest event in the
city is the “Montreux
Christmas Market”.
Although official numbers
are hard to obtain, almost
500’000 people are
expected at this month-
long event.
Like the Montreux Jazz Festival, shops and kiosques are setup on the lakeside promenade offering all
kinds of consumer goods and dining experiences. Although the temperature hovers between 0 and 5
degrees Celsius the beach litter climbs along with the hotel nights and the number of days at the
Christmas Market.
Conclusion: Beach litter and aquatic litter are
recurring problems at events on the lakeshore,
indifferent of the time of year or the
temperature. The current infrastructure and
processes are insufficient when faced with
anticipated surges in population density.
Solution: Increase the capacity of fixed
infrastructure, thus enabling continued growth
and minimizing ecological impact.
The city of Montreux and the commercial
partners have created a successful economic
model. However, the ecological impact of the
current business model has been
underestimated by local authorities, business
owners and event organizers. Thus, solid waste
is released into the lake year-round at a rhythm
that follows the regional economic cycle.
5
Hotel room data from the Swiss federal office of statistics web portal
0
2
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6
8
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12
14
16
11/23/15
12/11/15
12/29/15
1/16/16
2/3/16
2/21/16
3/10/16
3/28/16
4/15/16
5/3/16
5/21/16
6/8/16
6/26/16
7/14/16
Densityoftrashpersample
Chart 7: Litter density per survey Baye de Montreux
and hotel check-ins per month city of Montreux
Litter density
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
hotelcheckins
Hotel check-ins
Image 5: Trash collecting and sorting Baye de Montreux
December 10th 2015

Annex A: List of inventories used in this document, items in red are considered as left by user (chart 3 and 4)
LOCATION MONTREUXRD MONTREUXRD MONTREUXRD
DATE 5/28/2016 6/28/2016 7/16/2016
PLASTIC BAGS COLLECTIVE ROLE 0 0 5
DRINK BOTTLES <= 0.5L 0 1 3
DRINK BOTTLES => 0.5L 0 0 6
FOOD CONTAINERS/FAST FOOD CONTAINERS 3 7 15
PLASTIC CAPS LIDS UNIDENTIFIED 0 14 8
PLASTIC CAPS/LIDS DRINKS 2 35 15
PLASTIC CAPS/LIDS CHEMICALS AND DETERGENTS 0 18 1
PLASTIC RINGS FROM BOTTLE CAPS/LIDS 0 22 4
TOBACCO POUCHES 3 20 15
CIGARETTE LIGHTERS 3 1 0
CIGARETTE BUTTS 216 0 471
CANDY AND CHIPS BAGS 5 87 15
LOLIPOP STICKS 3 5 6
CUPS AND CUP LIDS 0 16 19
TOYS AND FIREWORKS 0 4 1
CUTLERY AND TRAYS 3 3 9
STRAWS AND STIRERS 0 14 12
FISHING LINE 3 0 0
STRAPPING BANDS 1 5 5
INDUSTRIAL SHEETING, INDUSTRIAL PACKAGING 0 138 15
SHOTGUN CARTRIDGES 1 37 5
PLASTIC PIECES 1 > <50 CM 8 120 31
PLASTIC PIECES > 50CM 0 0 0
POLYSTYRENE PIECES 1 > < 50 CM 9 0 14
POLYSTYRENE PIECES > 50CM 0 0 0
COTTON SWABS 2 19 15
SANITARY TOWELS/TAMPONS AND BACKING STRIPS 0 5 0
MEDICAL/PHARMA CONTAINERS AND TUBES 1 2 0
BIOMASS HOLDERS SEWAGE TREATMENT 0 4 6
PLASTIC CONSTUCTION WASTE 3 43 9
DOG FECES BAGS 0 0 0
BOTTLES INCL. PIECES 0 0 12
CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL 0 0 0
BOTTLE CAPS 10 0 21
AEROSOL SPRAY CANS 0 0 0
BEVERAGE CANS 0 0 10
FOIL WRAPPERS 4 0 5
WIRE, WIRE MESH, BARBED WIRE 0 0 1
OTHER METAL < 50CM 0 0 0
CARTONS/TETRAPACK OTHER 0 0 0
CIGARETTE PACKETS 0 0 14
CUPS, FOOD TRAYS, WRAPPERS, DRINK CONTAINERS 0 0 57
PAPER FRAGMENTS 0 0 46
OTHER PAPER ITEMS 10 0 0
CORKS 0 0 2
ICE-CREAM STICKS, CHIP FORKS 2 1 1
PROCESSED TIMBER 0 0 0
BALLONS AND BALLOON STICKS 1 3 0
SMALL PLASTIC BAGS 0 2 2
OTHER COSMETICS 0 2 1
CAR PARTS 0 1 0
PENS AND PEN LIDS 1 3 1
TELEPHONES 0 0 1
PLASTIC FLOWER POTS 0 0 2
SYRINGES AND NEEDLES 0 1 0
BOAT BUMPERS 0 4 0
BUCKETS 0 5 0
TAGS FISHING AND INDUSTRY 0 0 2
BAIT CONTAINERS 0 2 0
PARAFIN/WAX 0 3 0
OTHER TEXTILES - RAGS 0 3 1
WEIGHTS/HOOKS/LURES 3 0 0
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The jazz effect

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The jazz effect