Festivals are back, and we’re officially excited! But did you know that around 3 million people attended a music festival pre-pandemic, producing 25,800 tonnes of waste, 22,876 tonnes of CO2 and 185 million litres of water annually. And (brace yourselves) each individual festival-goer produces about 2kg of waste per person per day – double what we usually produce. That’s a lot of waste, and it’s not even taking into account the fields filled with discarded tents after a festival.
But there is a better way! Follow these simple steps and reduce your impact without losing the party spirit…
Travel by public transport
Travelling by coach is 20 times more carbon efficient per person than travelling by car, so ditch the four wheels and opt for public transport instead. Failing that, pool your resources and travel in groups, making sure all seats are taken in your vehicle. GoCarShare has a great function that lets you hitch a ride or offer up empty seats to other festival goers.
Take a refillable bottle
This year, Glastonbury has banned the sale of single-use plastic water bottles, a great step in encouraging visitors to bring along their own reusable bottles. Festivals have numerous drinking water points, so pack your bottle and fill up as you go; you’ll save money, too. Go a step further and take along a reusable coffee cup for your morning brew (which can then double up for drinks later in the day).
Don’t dump your tent
It sounds so obvious, but thousands of tents are left behind after music festivals every year, and contrary to popular belief, they are rarely recycled or passed on to charities and instead often end up in landfill. Then there’s the kit, including inflatable beds, gazebos and deck chairs, which all add up to one colossal mountain of waste. So rather than taking along a single-use tent and equipment that you plan to dump, borrow from a friend or invest in kit you can reuse every time. Vango offers an excellent range of tents and sleeping bags made from recycled plastic waste, in collaboration with The National Trust.
Ditch the fast fashion
Not literally, you understand, but avoiding buying cheap fast fashion which you only plan on wearing once has a huge impact. An estimated 10,000 items of clothing are sent to landfill every five minutes. So think quality rather than quantity and buy clothes that will last, or scour your local charity shops for second-hand finds and do good while you’re shopping.
Buy eco glitter
Most high street body and face glitter is made of microplastics, which easily slip into the water system, polluting our rivers and oceans and are almost impossible to remove. Instead, opt for environmentally-friendly biodegradable glitter: Eco Glitter Fun has a great range, and it’s all vegan and cruelty-free, too.
Recycle!
Keep a look out for recycling bins while you’re there, and pack bin bags so you can sort – and take home – your rubbish. Every little helps…
Love being in the wilderness and want to do more? Have a look at our Wilderness Plan and find out how you can repair the planet with our rewilding projects.
