Hate the farm, leave all your shit behind

[gooner1990]

Unfortunately, like a few others have said it's more of a reflection on society as a whole rather than people who go to Glastonbury. If you think Glastonbury is bad, then you probably don't want to see just how bad Reading is usually left on a Monday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLg7gAECbRw

[gooner1990]

[indie-anna]

Do you all think the organisers are doing enough to tackle the issue? What could they do better? Obviously they already have the "Love the Farm.." campaign and the "please take it home again" videos around the site but do you think this is enough? Do they have an impact on peoples behaviour or are people going to leave their stuff behind anyway, regardless of what the organisers do? This is something I am researching so would be great to hear your views!

[billyfenlon]

Yet a £10/£20/£30/£40 top, which has got wet, muddy, becomes too hot to wear halfway to the car etc, will still make it home. It's lighter, and you're unlikely to be able to get one the same if you dump it. I don't know how we get people to place the same value on tents/chairs/airbeds etc as they do on other items they own. It can only be done by developing understanding the impact that this level of disposabilty has on the festival and the planet as a whole.

Maybe a certain level of work for green charities as part of a registration qualification process is a way forward? I think it is the only way to have a festival crowd that have an understanding of the green message. However, it would be a massive economic gamble which I am not sure even the charities would be keen to take - What if hardly anyone could be bothered and they all went to V instead? Maybe we'd lose even more of the "edge" that so many people seem to like! Then again, I wonder if it could be worked on the basis of 5-10 hours clearing canals or something before you can register? (obviously something more sedentary needed for those less able bodied too) Would enough people go for it? Would it make for a better festival, or might we all get a bit bored with the festival being filled with worthy dullards? (and I include myself in that! - although I actually feel that there is no reason why you can't clear a canal and know how to party - some people may differ)

[abdoujaparov]

Why the hell should I be a greenie to attend Glastonbury? Hows f**k off sound!

I recycle at home but thats it far as it goes.

[geebus]

stay at home then

[cejx]

Why the hell should I be a greenie to attend Glastonbury? Hows f**k off sound!

I recycle at home but thats it far as it goes.

[Redwinevino]

Yet a £10/£20/£30/£40 top, which has got wet, muddy, becomes too hot to wear halfway to the car etc, will still make it home. It's lighter, and you're unlikely to be able to get one the same if you dump it. I don't know how we get people to place the same value on tents/chairs/airbeds etc as they do on other items they own. It can only be done by developing understanding the impact that this level of disposabilty has on the festival and the planet as a whole.

Maybe a certain level of work for green charities as part of a registration qualification process is a way forward? I think it is the only way to have a festival crowd that have an understanding of the green message. However, it would be a massive economic gamble which I am not sure even the charities would be keen to take - What if hardly anyone could be bothered and they all went to V instead? Maybe we'd lose even more of the "edge" that so many people seem to like! Then again, I wonder if it could be worked on the basis of 5-10 hours clearing canals or something before you can register? (obviously something more sedentary needed for those less able bodied too) Would enough people go for it? Would it make for a better festival, or might we all get a bit bored with the festival being filled with worthy dullards? (and I include myself in that! - although I actually feel that there is no reason why you can't clear a canal and know how to party - some people may differ)

[ministe2003]

You know what sums this whole issue up?

At my work we have drink making facilities in the kitchen. Fridge stocked with milk, hot water machine and tea/coffee/sugar in jars.

Now to me, the process is simple. Make your brew, put milk in and go (milk is left out since there's a lot of people here and a pint probably goes in half an hour). If you empty a bottle of milk, rinse and put in the rack.

it never ceases to amaze me though, the number of times empty milk bottles are left on the side. When you use the hot water machine, the milk rack (which goes back to the farm for refills) is RIGHT next to you. Yet people can't be arsed to put an empty bottle in there.

If people aren't willing to bend down to the floor to put a milk bottle in a rack, which is centimetres away from you, we can never expect them to take their stuff home or recycle. Lazy "someone else will do it for me" attitude.

Edited July 6, 2011 by ministe2003

[Cheesey]

If people aren't willing to bend down to the floor to put a milk bottle in a rack, which is centimetres away from you, we can never expect them to take their stuff home or recycle. Lazy "someone else will do it for me" attitude.

[idontgetoutmuch]

This more than anything else makes me consider not going again. We were camped at the top of Pennards and there were a couple of large groups who basically lived in their shit and left it all behind on Monday, their area looked like a landfill site.

If people leave their perfectly good tents, then at least the tatters can move in and get a bargain. But to drop every beer can and food plate that you use all weekend and leave it, is just disgusting.

I can understand how plastic bottles and cans end up being dropped in front of the stages when it's busy - but people leaving half eaten plates of food in front of the stages where they are sitting, for someone to stand in later when it's busy, is gross.

Anyone been to Fuji rocks? Apparently the Japanese manage a full festival with no litter, can anyone verify this? We need to look and learn.

I have been since 2002 and think this problem gets worse each year.

[amfy]

Why the hell should I be a greenie to attend Glastonbury? Hows f**k off sound!

I recycle at home but thats it far as it goes.

[AnnaGrant]

Looking back at my old Glastonbury programmes it seems that twice a day punters were asked to spend 15 minutes clearing around them. They called it the Trash Dash and it happened at 2pm and 7pm, with stewards being around to hand out bags.

Would something like that work now? At least it would raise awareness of the litter problem-the litter fairies don't come in overnight to clean up.

This year we were given a green sack for rubbish when we came onto the site.

We left on the Sunday night so we didn't see the worst of people's laziness, but did see lots of rubbish dropped around the main stages. If the bins had not been full I would like to think that more people might have bothered to put their rubbish in the bins instead of dropping it on the floor.

[cejx]

Anyone been to Fuji rocks? Apparently the Japanese manage a full festival with no litter, can anyone verify this? We need to look and learn.

.

[idontgetoutmuch]

Latitude comes pretty close to a festival with no litter.

[idontgetoutmuch]

I think that the rape charges last year have totally put me off Latitude.

[cejx]

I think that the rape charges last year have totally put me off Latitude.

[stanners33]

I just want to say that I massively disagree with the undertone that younger festival goers such as myself are more responsible than most. I'm 18 and have gone to every Glasto and Reading since I was 15.. and Reading, although it is now rammed with middle class kids who go just to be seen afterwards with the wristband, is always much cleaner after than Glastonbury. I'd put it not down to any age or demographic, rather the fact that the scale of the place doesn't compare to other festivals. Where at Reading i'd have a 10 minute walk out of the site, it took me upwards of an hour at Glasto, so I reckon the 'can't be arsed' attitude after a long weekend is the biggest contributing factor.

[billyfenlon]

stay at home then

[billyfenlon]

I just want to say that I massively disagree with the undertone that younger festival goers such as myself are more responsible than most. I'm 18 and have gone to every Glasto and Reading since I was 15.. and Reading, although it is now rammed with middle class kids who go just to be seen afterwards with the wristband, is always much cleaner after than Glastonbury. I'd put it not down to any age or demographic, rather the fact that the scale of the place doesn't compare to other festivals. Where at Reading i'd have a 10 minute walk out of the site, it took me upwards of an hour at Glasto, so I reckon the 'can't be arsed' attitude after a long weekend is the biggest contributing factor.

[Mr McJohnson]

They were dropped.

[katgem]

Recent article in the Guardian;

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jul/07/festival-tents-landfill?CMP=twt_fd

Those videos posted from Reading were truly depressing. One of the many reasons I will never go to that antisocial festival.

[katgem]

indieanna, tried to finish your survey, but not sure if it finalised properly.

[cejx]

Listen, I go Glastonbury every year apart from this and I leave no trace. I take all my crap home and when I have a pint I put the cup in the bin or beside (as 99% of they time they are full)I said I wasnt a greenie not a f**king litter lout.

However I dont buy into the green party or alot of the bollocks they shout. Over the years some of their policies haves turned out to be absolute shit, scaremongering or lies!!

Nuclear power station will be the end of us etc etc etc

Also I dont believe in global warmimng, I think its the earth taking a natural cycle. I maybe be wrong but did we not at one point have an ice age which melted, yet there was no carbon emissions?!?!?

So can someone please tell me why I should not be at Glastonbury, unless you are a pretentious tree hugging twat.

[pinback]

Listen, I go Glastonbury every year apart from this and I leave no trace. I take all my crap home and when I have a pint I put the cup in the bin or beside (as 99% of they time they are full)I said I wasnt a greenie not a f**king litter lout.

However I dont buy into the green party or alot of the bollocks they shout. Over the years some of their policies haves turned out to be absolute shit, scaremongering or lies!!

Nuclear power station will be the end of us etc etc etc

Also I dont believe in global warmimng, I think its the earth taking a natural cycle. I maybe be wrong but did we not at one point have an ice age which melted, yet there was no carbon emissions?!?!?

So can someone please tell me why I should not be at Glastonbury, unless you are a pretentious tree hugging twat.