40 replies to this topic

[cejx]

I've been pretty quiet on my favourite subject of rubbish, but with many of folk leaving a week tomorrow, thought I'd give a gentle reminding prod...

.... Please only take with you on to site - what you can carry off site back to the car
.... Don't leave your tent, chair, gazebo, flag etc etc.  If you wish to recycle your tent, give it to the campsite crew at the end of the festival
.... Leave your campsite as you found it - lovely and green and grassy - if a little flattened

the famous 'AFTERMATH' VIDEO.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DXNSL_1tmY

an interesting article on the Beeb website today.  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/10145690.stm

Thank you all kindly - I'll shamelessly bump this thread all week!

Have an amazingly wicked time - see you at the efest World cup.

cejx xx

[LittlemissC]

+1 to this - our party are travelling mega light this year and plan to do a bit litter picking this year.  We clubbed together and for the first time have gone for a tipi, and i'm really looking forward to not carrying a tent this year!

Excitement level +++++++++!

[rischbrit]

YAY one week to go....... and even more importantly one more day at work for me! I think it is going to be the longest 9 hr shift EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rischbrit]

Sorry I was too excited about one day left at work to say     +1       about the mess! Go light!

[Wiggum]

God, that video was depressing. Reminds me of opening the tent a bit later than I'd hoped on the Monday morning. Still, seeing the site (in any state) makes me excited to be there.

[gillmacca]

Damn. Better get my ass in gear.
So much to do for Glastonbury, so little time...now wheres my rucksack and tent?

[Late]

I think things are improving, i now see a lot of people putting rubbish in bins during the festival. But still a huge amount left behind that is the real problem to be tackled now. If tents and camping gear was not so cheap then i think people would think twice about it, but when you can get a tent for a tenner and a chair for 3 quid it is just going to bring out the lazyness in people. Sad really.

[londonlady]

The waste is unbelievable - and yeah, I agree the cheapness of camping gear must be contributing to it. This year we'll be staying in the tent we picked up last year, left behind by our next door neighbours - a monster of a tent, must be upwards of a 6-man tent (maybe 9-man?) with three pods and a central living area. Our friends staying in the other pods are bringing booze for us as a thank you But the people next to us last year left so much - this tent, two gazebos, a couple of cool boxes, lots of camping chairs; unbelievable.

[Spindles]

+1 for the sentiment.

Last year I was disgusted with the state of things Sunday afternoon/Monday morning.  I suspect the 9 person 3 pod tent mentioned above was the one right be me abandoned by some really unpleasant people near me on pennards who left literally hundreds of pounds worth of tent, gazebo, chairs, etc..  If so, glad to hear it got a good home.

I try to clean up as much of my locality as I can (3 bin bags on sunday, 2 on monday last year) to try and alleviate the problem on a personal level.  If everyone could do the same (remember to seperate recyclables;)) we could make the monday morning comedown a little less harsh for those around us.

[Happy Chappy]

My first time at Glasto, so don't really know what facilities there are for recycling there, but regardless will be taking along a load of 'plastic' bags (not really plastic, biodegradeble starch carrier bags that my local butcher users) for daily unrecyclable rubbish, and then anything that I normally recycle at home (plastic, card, paper, metal) I'll either recycle on site daily or stick in more bags to take back home again.

For me this is no different than being at home or going to a mates, I wouldn't leave a pile of shit there so why would I anywhere else?  But I guess it is whether considering the environment and sustainability is something that you do in everyday life, if it isn't then I can see why people think it is OK to leave their crap.

I will stop there, I feel a soapbox moment coming on

[cejx]

Happy Chappy, on 14 June 2010 - 11:52 AM, said:

My first time at Glasto, so don't really know what facilities there are for recycling there, but regardless will be taking along a load of 'plastic' bags (not really plastic, biodegradeble starch carrier bags that my local butcher users) for daily unrecyclable rubbish, and then anything that I normally recycle at home (plastic, card, paper, metal) I'll either recycle on site daily or stick in more bags to take back home again.

For me this is no different than being at home or going to a mates, I wouldn't leave a pile of shit there so why would I anywhere else?  But I guess it is whether considering the environment and sustainability is something that you do in everyday life, if it isn't then I can see why people think it is OK to leave their crap.

I will stop there, I feel a soapbox moment coming on

Join me on the soapbox - plenty of room!

You'll be given a black bin bag and a recycling bag with your bag of stuff when you come through the gate.  Extra bin bags are available at the info places dotted around the festival along with recycled loo roll.

[Happy Chappy]

cejx, on 14 June 2010 - 12:09 PM, said:

Join me on the soapbox - plenty of room!

You'll be given a black bin bag and a recycling bag with your bag of stuff when you come through the gate.  Extra bin bags are available at the info places dotted around the festival along with recycled loo roll.

Excellent, thanks for that!  Although (and thinking, why do all threads seem to end up in the toilet), I take it the loo roll isn't freshly recycled

[Happy Chappy]

OK, minor bit of promotion rather than soap-boxing...  If you are in any way interested in sustainability and the environment, and have nothing planned on Friday afternoon, then I'd recommend going along to three of the speakers at the Speakers Forum on Friday -->

Friday - 14:15 --> 16:00 - Emily Eavis The Greening of Glastonbury Festival
Friday - 16:00 --> 17:15 - Caroline Lucas - Green MP  
Friday - 17:15 --> 18:00 - Shaun Chamberlain - Transition Timeline, for a local, resilient future.

First two should be obvious interest (our first ever Green MP, how cool is that?!), the third guy, Shaun, is working in the Transition Network organisation.  Transition Network is about community led change to increase sustainability and reduce our impact on the environment, with the huge side benefit of building better and stronger communities.  I could go on about this for hours, as it is a subject close to my heart (co-founder of Transition Harborough in the Midlands), but if you want to know more take a look at their website..

[psychology]

What if manufacturers were made to give a 3 year warrenty on all new purchases. I know the initial cost of products would be higher but goods would be of higher quality and hopefully would last longer. Surely this would this have an effect on our throw away society and stop us buying crap which we know won't last for more than a few uses.

Edited by psychology, 14 June 2010 - 12:41 PM.

[featherboa]

The litter that is created is annoying, I remember seeing someone last year drop their cup next to a bin, I asked them to put it in the bin and they did whilst giving me a dirty look and calling me the litter police!

I just find it so annoying when people drop stuff when there are bins available!

[Happy Chappy]

psychology, on 14 June 2010 - 12:36 PM, said:

What if manufacturers were made to give a 3 year warrenty on all new purchases. I know the initial cost of products would be higher but goods would be of higher quality and hopefully would last longer. Surely this would this have an effect on our throw away society and stop us buying crap which we know won't last for more than a few uses.

Discuss

I think that is part of the problem, but I don't think it is all of the problem by a very long way. Marketing has created hyper-consumerism, many people confuse need with want, and so every time something new comes along it becomes an object of desire.  Take the new iPhone, I know I shouldn't want one but I really do (in white please), I have a mobile phone already (a very old Nokia, 6-7 years old) that makes calls, I have an iPod touch already, but I saw the Orange ad for the GlastoNav and now want an iPhone.  I want one because everyone else around me wants one.  We are programmed to move with the herd, and so I just go Baaa along with everyone else.

That's just one example, but my point is that 'new' is happening more frequently because the rate of technological change increases.  Not only offering better functionality, but maybe better effeciency, uses less power etc.  

Back to the original question - I'm not convinced that things don't last as long as they used to, I think it is yet another symptom of hyper-consumerism whereby that what I bought is no longer any good because 'new' does so much more = 'old' no longer meets my need.

[psychology]

Happy Chappy, on 14 June 2010 - 12:50 PM, said:

I think that is part of the problem, but I don't think it is all of the problem by a very long way. Marketing has created hyper-consumerism, many people confuse need with want, and so every time something new comes along it becomes an object of desire.  Take the new iPhone, I know I shouldn't want one but I really do (in white please), I have a mobile phone already (a very old Nokia, 6-7 years old) that makes calls, I have an iPod touch already, but I saw the Orange ad for the GlastoNav and now want an iPhone.  I want one because everyone else around me wants one.  We are programmed to move with the herd, and so I just go Baaa along with everyone else.

That's just one example, but my point is that 'new' is happening more frequently because the rate of technological change increases.  Not only offering better functionality, but maybe better effeciency, uses less power etc.  

Back to the original question - I'm not convinced that things don't last as long as they used to, I think it is yet another symptom of hyper-consumerism whereby that what I bought is no longer any good because 'new' does so much more = 'old' no longer meets my need.

Whilst i agree with your point on technology and peoples perception that a new phone, ipod, laptop has functionalities that they must have, I don't feel this argument can stand up with products such as tents camping chairs and the like. if someone has to pay say £100 for a tent instead of £20 then they are much more likely to take it home with them and hopefully look after it.

[Porcelina]

After being a Leeds goer for the past four years, I have to say I'm looking forward to a Sunday night at a festival where I'm not worried about having my things set on fire.

I always aim to leave no rubbish - tents and chairs are just too expensive. If there's anything around my campsite on the last night then it's used as fuel for the campfire.

[cejx]

psychology, on 14 June 2010 - 01:03 PM, said:

Whilst i agree with your point on technology and peoples perception that a new phone, ipod, laptop has functionalities that they must have, I don't feel this argument can stand up with products such as tents camping chairs and the like. if someone has to pay say £100 for a tent instead of £20 then they are much more likely to take it home with them and hopefully look after it.

Agree - the chuckaway culture.
But at the end of the day, just clear up your camping area, recycle what you don't want/use/need and carry the rest back to your car.

[psychology]

cejx, on 14 June 2010 - 01:28 PM, said:

Agree - the chuckaway culture.
But at the end of the day, just clear up your camping area, recycle what you don't want/use/need and carry the rest back to your car.

leave your campsite cleaner than you found it.

Edited by psychology, 14 June 2010 - 02:53 PM.