Disgusted with the rubbish left behind at Reading Festival

[mydogisthebest]

Every festival is the same, tons of rubbish left behind.

All those tents just left and most of them will be going to landfill they said this morning.

Considering the average festival goer is fairly young why do they not care about all the rubbish? The lazy so and so's can't even be bothered to take the tents down let alone carry them to the collection point.

Apparently there was also loads of food just left!

These are the youngsters that supposedly care about the planet and climate change. Yeah like hell they do. Some might but the majority just don't.

The mentality of buying a tent and food and other items and then just up and leaving them just beggars belief. The parents have obviously not taught values.

I used to live very close to where the V Festival was held and the amount of rubbish left behind used to amaze me every year.

Apparently it will take a team (no idea how many) 2 weeks to clear Reading.

It makes me so angry

It's an exercise in doublethink, simultaneously believing two opposing ideas. They genuinely believe that litter and waste is a problem, yet they genuinely believe they are not to blame for it when they leave stuff behind.

They feel more should be done to protect the environment - it's just that their own actions aren't relevant because they are a special case.

Part of it is that "everyone does it" - see other people behaving in a certain way justifies someone else doing the same thing.

Mostly it's just the inability to accept they must change their behaviour, it's easier to blame governments or big corporations or just the faceless general public than it is to take their rubbish home with them, or not get a new phone every couple of years, or not use streaming services like Netflix.

The positive is that there are teams with refrigerated vehicles able to recycle the food.

There should be an environmental charge for each tent to allow for clearance

I think everyone going into an outdoor event should be given a bag for rubbish. If they leave without a filled bag then they have to pay eg £10.

It could easily be stopped,they just need to implement fines. It's the same every year.

Why don't you point the finger at the parents of those children who early haven't raised them up to respect the environment enough to not litter, plenty of mumsnetters whose children attended....

I don't know what the answer is but I agree OP.

@HarrietsChariot

It's an exercise in doublethink, simultaneously believing two opposing ideas. They genuinely believe that litter and waste is a problem, yet they genuinely believe they are not to blame for it when they leave stuff behind.

They feel more should be done to protect the environment - it's just that their own actions aren't relevant because they are a special case.

Part of it is that "everyone does it" - see other people behaving in a certain way justifies someone else doing the same thing.

Mostly it's just the inability to accept they must change their behaviour, it's easier to blame governments or big corporations or just the faceless general public than it is to take their rubbish home with them, or not get a new phone every couple of years, or not use streaming services like Netflix.

All of this!

As a "boomer" (sic) I am constantly blamed by the young 'uns for the state of the planet, the economy, etc yet the tonnes of litter left everywhere by them appear to be a different issue entirely.

I've been binning my own litter and 'keeping Britain tidy' for as long as I can remember.

There's often wholly inadequate supplies of bins I've found, I took litter home with me but without a car this isn't always an option. Providing a biodegradable sack to each person (cost 20p) would be helpful, people can ten bag them rubbish and leave next to the overflowing bins. As for the tents, many collect them for homeless

Why don't you point the finger at the parents of those children who early haven't raised them up to respect the environment enough to not litter, plenty of mumsnetters whose children attended....

Don't blame me!! My ds was brought up to know better,I'm not responsible for his actions when he's 18 and old enough to go to festivals. I was horrified his group left a tent behind 'because everyone does.'

An Australian PM did a rant on this, about how they want to cut emissions but are the first generation to demand air con in schools. I find the main difference is between what they can pontificate on SM and what they do in reality.

These are the youngsters that supposedly care about the planet and climate change. Yeah like hell they do. Some might but the majority just don't

who said young people did care? Many young people would have the exact same attitudes to global warming or climate change etc as older adults and not give 2 hoots.
I agree with you though, there should be a rule that if the concert goers don't clean up the festivals are banned.

Extinction rebellion should hold a protest telling the festival goers to clean it up.

The donating tents thing is a bit of a myth... many are useless... broken and non weather proof.

@Dreamstate

Why don't you point the finger at the parents of those children who early haven't raised them up to respect the environment enough to not litter, plenty of mumsnetters whose children attended....

They're not 'children' if they're going to festivals without their parents. They're old enough to think for themselves.

As for the tents, many collect them for homeless

That is not an excuse for just leaving them in situ, there should be a collection point for unwanted tents.

It is awful. I knew a couple who lived in a campervan and worked the festivals/ cleanup. They could take any of the abandoned stuff they wanted and the nicer tents found their way on to gumtree etc. So many of them are just cheap pop up jobs. 25 quid plus sleeping bag plus a bit of food. Twenty quid a person if you're sharing with a friend? I suppose when you're young and hungover and everyone does it it probably seems ok. (I wouldn't but am not likely to be a festival goer.)

I think it's festival equivalent of leaving your tray on your table at a fast food place. It's mucky but it's expected that a proportion of people do it so folk are in place to deal with it.

@bellabasset

The positive is that there are teams with refrigerated vehicles able to recycle the food.

There should be an environmental charge for each tent to allow for clearance

They can recycle dumped food? Is that even possible under the various food safety laws? Just curious.

Definitely agree with a charge for clearance. If the festival goers can't clean up, they get billed for it. I've been a few and never left anything, it's not difficult.

An Australian PM did a rant on this, about how they want to cut emissions but are the first generation to demand air con in schools

I don't know where you are but air con is very much a necessity in some places in the same way you'd expect heating. I worked in London schools for years and the heat in the classrooms would get extremely intense at some times of the year and it made me and the kids feel ill. When they finally installed air con it made such an improvement.

So if it gets like that in London I'd imagine it's much worse in parts of Australia.

@TroysMammy

I think everyone going into an outdoor event should be given a bag for rubbish. If they leave without a filled bag then they have to pay eg £10.

Boomtown festival has been doing this for years

I think the reason they don't see it as 'littering' is because they know the site will be cleared when they've left. It's akin to people who leave their rubbish in the cinema.

@Dreamstate

Why don't you point the finger at the parents of those children who early haven't raised them up to respect the environment enough to not litter, plenty of mumsnetters whose children attended....

You could use that argument for absolutely anything. Mugged a granny? Blame the parents for raising a mugger.

Also, by this dubious 'logic' nobody is responsible for the environment. "I was raised this way so it's not my fault I don't give a shit about the planet" - Donald Trump (joke - he didn't actually say that...I don't think).

@CounsellorTroi

As for the tents, many collect them for homeless

That is not an excuse for just leaving them in situ, there should be a collection point for unwanted tents.

These tents are not suitable for the homeless. Mostly they are single skinned and you and your stuff get soaked if it rains. Really in an ideal world they should be collected cleaned and resold at the next festival. They genuinely are rubbish tents and so cheap to buy that I'm unsure where the profit could be.

The tents go into landfill

The positive is that there are teams with refrigerated vehicles able to recycle the food.

How does this work when they have no idea how the food has been kept for the last couple of days

As its refrigerated vehicles, its not long life or canned food they are picking up. And where does this food go to be recycled?

@Dreamstate

Why don't you point the finger at the parents of those children who early haven't raised them up to respect the environment enough to not litter, plenty of mumsnetters whose children attended....

OP did. Reread the post.