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Original poster

Disgusted with the rubbish left behind at Reading Festival

235 replies

mydogisthebest · 31/08/2021 09:11

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

OP posts:
SusieBob · 31/08/2021 10:22

@HarrietOh

I remember years ago at Leeds festival being encouraged to leave tents behind, fully set up, so they could be donated for disaster relief efforts. Do they not still do that now?

I also seem to have a vague memory of if you collected a bag of rubbish you got free beer in exchange.

Good idea in theory, in practice these £10 amazon tents barely survive a weekend of summer camping so are of absolutely no use when people actually need to live in them for more than a couple of hours.

The only way really to do it is to heavily fine people (to many times more than the cost of the tent) if they leave them behind. How you would police that though I have no idea as it's not like camping spots at festivals are allocated beyond "that field over there". Maybe there needs to be a deposit system where you only get the money back if you show your tent on the way out, but then as others have said there is nothing to stop people walking round the corner and then dumping them.

bellabasset · 31/08/2021 10:23

My ndn's teen - from Cornwall - went to Reading, and his younger db to Boardmasters. These teens have been camping from babyhood, took their own tents. They wild camp properly and clear up, using as little one use plastic as possible. Living near the sea we're all aware of the need to clear up.

With Covid-19 bottled water, wet wipes, sanitizer, toilet rolls for tissues and nappy bags to put used items in for disposal were a sensible precaution. Then there's the food packaging, bottles, cans, used nappies even that people don't dispose of responsibly. It's a national problem and council's budgets are severely stretched.

legoriakelne · 31/08/2021 10:23

Scouting manages to hold large scale camps with tens of thousands there with decent waste and recycling management throughout the event and without a scene of devastation at the end.

It's a complete copout to say it's too difficult to run adequate waste management during an event like that. Abdicating like that just creates this toxic mindset of everyone there deciding the environment is theirs to abuse for the weekend.

I was horrified his group left a tent behind 'because everyone does.'

It's interesting how being part of a group alters human behaviour. But simply reinforces that the organisers need to take more responsibility for the culture they create at their event.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 31/08/2021 10:24

£10 isn't enough,it needs to be a fine that hurts.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 31/08/2021 10:24

I do have sympathy with exhausted, hungover people wrestling pop up up tents back into their bags though. Not an excuse though...

BeenAsFarAsMercyAndGrand · 31/08/2021 10:24

The litter is shit - and yes, it's an exercise in dobulethink.

However, the thing that amazes me most is the attitude to possessions like tents. Tents, even cheap ones, are not one-use disposable items - the cheap tent I bought while at uni 20 years ago is still usable! I don't remember hearing about people leaving tents behind at an events when I was that age, so this is a relatively new phenomenon.

What an utter waste to buy something like a tent and just leave it behind because you're too bone idle to take it down. The attitude that would lead to someone doing that ("I'll just buy another tent") is the antithesis of environmental responsibility.

NeverDropYourMoonCup · 31/08/2021 10:24

@Handsnotwands

It’s not every festival. Beautiful Days camping fields were pristine and completely empty afterwards. It’s a different demographic.
I worked there for several years and agree totally. By 10am, as the structures are coming down and the vast majority of people are waiting for the buses or have already left, it doesn't look as though there's ever been thousands of people camping there.
BeenAsFarAsMercyAndGrand · 31/08/2021 10:25

The organisers should require everyone leaving the event to show that they are taking their tent with them.

No tent in your bag (or your group's bag) when you leave? You can spend 2 hrs litter picking as a fine.

MaryTalbot · 31/08/2021 10:26

@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 was the rubbish left behind at the Extinction Rebellion protest which completely turned me off their protesting and support them. Against climate change yes, leaving that mess -jog on.
Blueskythinking123 · 31/08/2021 10:28

If they are going to be taken home and dumped due to them being cheap £10 tents. Would it not make more sense to have skips available for them to dispose of the tents responsibly.

If they are travelling home on the train etc they are not going to struggle to carry a tent that cannot be used again. Also, a number of tents are destroyed at no fault of the owners. My DD had a pop up tent, but if she had a ridged tent it would have likely been broken when someone completely fell into it.

Annasgirl · 31/08/2021 10:30

@howtodealwithit

They managed to salvage lots of tents and sleeping bags, which are being sent to France for the refugees.
Well I hope there’s no rain in France HmmHmm
BeenAsFarAsMercyAndGrand · 31/08/2021 10:31

they are not going to struggle to carry a tent that cannot be used again.

Why can't the tent be used again? A small Vango (a good brand which should last for years of use) costs £50. Buying one of those and reusing it is a million times better for both your wallet and the environment than buying a £20 tent every time you need one, and treating it as disposable.

crumpet · 31/08/2021 10:34

If a supplement was added to each ticket, refundable after the site was cleared that would be good - but impossible to manage without huge overheads

crumpet · 31/08/2021 10:35

@BeenAsFarAsMercyAndGrand once the tent is covered in vomit/ cigarette burn holes etc it’s not reusable - although there is still no excuse for not disposing of it properly.

DdraigGoch · 31/08/2021 10:37

@reprehensibleme

'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.'

Don't understand this - same as people who go on barbecues and picnics and don't take their rubbish home - they bought the stuff in with them - surely it's no more difficult to carry it back? Possibly easier because you've eaten the food, drunk the beer etc.

It's just laziness and arrogance (someone else will clear up).

Yep, I used to work on a mountain. The litter was (and is) incredible. People would walk up, drink a bottle of lager and just drop it.

No, there are no bins on mountains. Mountains don't have bins, you're supposed to take your crap home with you.

GreenWhiteViolet · 31/08/2021 10:38

The 'group behaviour' point is an interesting one. There was a thread on Extinction Rebellion recently where a few people were arguing that they couldn't help leaving appalling amounts of rubbish behind after protests because they were such a big group. No. If each individual took responsibility for their own litter, there would be no mess.

You bring a tent? You take it away again. The bins are full so you can't dispose of cans or bottles? Take them with you and put them in your recycling bin at home. It's not difficult- you managed to bring all this stuff with you when you arrived, so not having a car, etc. is not an excuse.

I'm in my thirties and I was taught this as a child. Leave places as you found them. This entitled culture of 'someone else will come along and clear up after me, and everyone else litters so it's okay' is really strange to me.

Ugzbugz · 31/08/2021 10:39

They probably think they are cool leaving their tent behind with an I don't give a shit about my stuff attitude.

To hungover to care Confused

Its the same at alot of festivals, there are so many clothes, tents etc all left.

starfishmummy · 31/08/2021 10:39

I took litter home with me but without a car this isn't always an option

Why not? They manage to carry the stuff to the festival so taking it away should also be possible.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 31/08/2021 10:40

The 'group behaviour' point is an interesting one. There was a thread on Extinction Rebellion recently where a few people were arguing that they couldn't help leaving appalling amounts of rubbish behind after protests because they were such a big group. No. If each individual took responsibility for their own litter, there would be no mess

As I said,I was appalled when ds did it, he would never dream of littering in any other setting.

NotDavidTennant · 31/08/2021 10:40

I suspect it is cheaper and quicker for them to get everyone off site and bring in a professional clean up team than it is to try to force a bunch of hungover teenagers to properly clear up after themselves.

BeenAsFarAsMercyAndGrand · 31/08/2021 10:43

@NotDavidTennant

I suspect it is cheaper and quicker for them to get everyone off site and bring in a professional clean up team than it is to try to force a bunch of hungover teenagers to properly clear up after themselves.
Doing the right thing for the environment isn't always the cheapest and quickest thing.

But surely it's better to model standards of behaviour that might lead to people giving thought to what they consume, rather than just going along with the idea that treating things as disposable is ok?

howtodealwithit · 31/08/2021 10:44

@Annasgirl , I believe they only took ones which were suitable

5128gap · 31/08/2021 10:45

I'm amazed that people can't get their head around the idea that SOME young people care about the environment and SOME young people leave litter, and that these may be entirely different young people. To suggest that littering is wrong is so clearly not unreasonable it hardly begs the question. Using it as a reason to criticise young people for some imagined hypocrisy is extremely unreasonable.

ElvisPresleyHadABaby · 31/08/2021 10:45

@godmum56
Fair point, but she is only 18 and their friend group decided to go as a post A-Levels celebration, I think it was actually her idea to do a holiday that didn't involve flying. She did her part to clear up, is young and still wanted to be with her friends and see the live music, so I really don't blame her for going.

KatherineJaneway · 31/08/2021 10:47

They say the right things to fit in but once it comes to making an effort, the views go right out of the window.