Hate the farm, leave all your shit behind

[abdoujaparov]

I suspect that for a lot of places it doesn't cost much more to do a litter sweep that picks up a small or large amount of rubbish.

In fact, wouldn't be surprised if this ended up cheaper overall having lots of bins and trying to get people to use them (ie consider logistics of rubbish clearing while people are around, etc).

In the end, the question is 'does it matter' when rubbish is cleared.

I get the feeling (as I may have said earlier in this thread) that it's more a case of latching on to something for the sake of it, than actually making much of a real difference for the festival.

[amfy]

As our trolley had become useless in the mud, we did and extra run to the car on Sunday morning so that we could get everything back off site. Basically we took all the clothes we weren't wearing and all our wash stuff bar a toothbrush. As Sunday turned out to be a scorcher, this turned out not to have been our finest moment!

However, having emptied our rucksacks into the car, we then managed to carry just our tent, 3 airbeds, 3 sleeping bags, 3 pillows & 3 chairs with relative ease on Monday morning. We smelt terrible though!

I must admit I do sometimes drop the odd cup, but when I remember I've done it, I pick up a few other people's! I do think it is sad that the green message of Glastonbury is clearly so completely lost on so many that go there.

[geebus]

Well, just attending the festival is both wasteful and requires other people to clear up after you .

But that was my point anyway, kinda... that it's not a case of 'loving the farm', but feeling the need to push a message of some kind and this being a convenient one.

Even if taken home, I suspect a lot of muddy tents etc would get chucked in the bin. As previously discussed, you're attracting people that have bought a tent for the same cost as they've expected to buy a round of drinks that will last twenty minutes. I don't personally see a solution for Glastonbury festival (ie, it's big, so it has to charge lots, so you get people will to spend lots for quality time rather than possessions.

[Wightman]

It was being cleared with amazing rapidity, during Tuesday from Pains Ground we saw across to the fields between the farm and red gate clear from being multicoloured to mottled green in the course of five hours... Yes it is a sad condemnation of those who crap and run, that the management have gotten so good at clearing up but good they are.

[amfy]

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]

Well, just attending the festival is both wasteful and requires other people to clear up after you .

But that was my point anyway, kinda... that it's not a case of 'loving the farm', but feeling the need to push a message of some kind and this being a convenient one.

Even if taken home, I suspect a lot of muddy tents etc would get chucked in the bin. As previously discussed, you're attracting people that have bought a tent for the same cost as they've expected to buy a round of drinks that will last twenty minutes. I don't personally see a solution for Glastonbury festival (ie, it's big, so it has to charge lots, so you get people will to spend lots for quality time rather than possessions.

[geebus]

As you say, lighter and much harder to replace for clothing - but I still do see some sometimes quite expensive clothing left (brand name jeans, etc).

I still think you're going to have serious problems getting people to put 'value' on a sleeping bag that costs the same as bacon burger and chips which are consumed within 10 minutes.

As for the environmental impact - how many of the people really care, even if they are told of it?

I think you've got a much grander task to convince people for this sort of thing - general life is pretty 'disposable' for so many.

I don't think the 'work for charities' would be that workable for Glastonbury as a whole for various reasons - logistics for a start.

However, what could be interesting is to say give guaranteed tickets to 20,000 people who have done such. However again, you need to be careful of not prejudicing against more people - for instance those with very limited time who are really have to scrimp and save 'time' for the festival it's self.

Also, I rather suspect many would see having done such work as their permission-slip to leave their rubbish - they've spent 10 hours cleaning up rubbish, so easily see they're 'in credit'.

[geebus]

it's not a Glastonbury problem, it's a social problem. We live in a disposable socity...it's unsustainable and needs to change, the depressing thing is that most people couldnt give a shit as long as they can buy a tent for 20 quid (but dont ask how it can be so cheap, because you might find out that it's made by children earning tuppence a day) and cheap beer, everything's groovy

[Kowalski]

i saw a girl having a poo! by the silent rave on saturday night/sunday morning. i was horrified as i thought the toilets were mainly clean and not too smelly! i was truly disgusted

[rexclark]

I don't suppose you took any photos did you?

[Kowalski]

If you're not booked for The Cabaret tent in 2013 I'll be raging.

[rexclark]

I'm registered for 2013. Didn't go this year due to transport issues.

[geebus]

Taking a picture of my friends (unfortunately on one of their cameras) at the very out skirts of the Other stage between bands "no, get the stage in the background" they ask. "But I'm trying to get the man pissing behind you in the picture" I say loudly. Pissing bloke doesn't seem particularly bothered (he was standing with a group of friends, but still pointing towards the massive open space.

[abdoujaparov]

It'll be interesting to see how the global marketplace does cope with the exponential consumrisation going on starting with the BRIC etc countries.

Unfortunately I don't see reduced consumption as too likely a realistic end, given human nature.

[Clareno7]

I would have LOVED to have left my tent there. It's only a cheap 4 man thing and we've really had our wear out of it and it was the muddiest it's ever been and the mud STANK and as I knew it would be raining when we got home I knew it would have to dry out in my kitchen ready to have the mud scraped off in the garden. Could have done without it but we STILL took it home.

OK it was cheap but it still would have cost me £50 to replace and the thought of it going to land fill when there's nothing wrong with it breaks my heart.

Things are far to cheap many say, we seem to want everything for nothing - but still lots of us do not like to see waste regardless of the monetary cost.

Someone else made the point that their parents would have been really annoyed if they'd have done that - I would be horrified if my daughter came back from a festival sans equipment and she wouldn't have the money for another tent for a number of years.

Let's hope awareness raising and enthusiasm will eventually see this practice becoming socially unacceptable.

[geebus]

I'm not convinced reduced consumption will be a reality for a LONG time.

I do expect that rubbish-mining recycling technologies will improve significantly.

I do wonder how the world will strike the balance between reusable/recyclable components and more mining-based recycling. Sadly, often it can be 'better' to make cheap and quick, than to make higher quality and re-usable.

For instance the way plastic bottles/cans are used in Western countries, versus pretty exclusively glass (if they still) for drinks in the third world, where they are re-used as with milk here.

[gooner1990]

http://swns.com/glastonbury-festival-2011-the-clean-up-begins-271702.html

[katgem]

My brother once decided to leave a very heavy (and antique) cooking stove back in the day..god knows why he brought it in the first place, but my 'rents weren't exactly happy about it.

But yeah - it's been a while since we had to leave on the Monday, but I was properly disgusted at people's attitude to leaving their crap behind. Like it was so beneath them to carry it - let someone else deal with it. It's sad that people like this attend.

[gooner1990]

Maybe an idea might be to have rubbish trucks come through the campsites half-way through the festival? Or at least leave big biffa style bins in the campsites for people to put their rubbish in.

Possibly part of the problem is that there only the oil drum style bins for people to use on site.

[rachmac]

I have to confess I've only read about half the thread so apologies if any of this has already been covered:

We drive and do an extra trip to our car on Sunday so we can take everything home on Monday morning

We start a bin bag on day 1 and tie it to a tent in our circle so it's a gradual thing and not a last minute thing on Sunday/Monday - and others in our group have bin bags in their tents. We put everything in bin bags and make sure any litter in the surrounding area is collected - no matter whose it is! - and leave it in an area where we camp - if there were a designated area to put the rubbish bags we would do this (at Reading they used to have (may still do but I work there now so I'm not out in the campsite) fenced off areas for rubbish to be put in around the campsites- it would use camping space but would it help?

I carried rubbish all over the place in my back pocket before I found a bin (one coffee cup went from West Holts, to Avalon to the Park before I managed to get rid of it!) it really doesn't take much effort to do this!

There seemed to be fewer urinals this year in the campsites - ie dairy ground had them last year - I found the lack of these caused: more p*ssing in hedges, bigger queues in the morning, more unclean toilets than last year! In the campsites I saw much fewer toilet cleaners than I did last year - last year every toilet I went in was beautifully clean - this was not the case this year!

There also seem to be fewer toilets (same number as 2010 but fewer than 2009 - I wonder if the expansion of the camping areas has caused them to be redistributed?) there used to be 3 sets of long drops on dairy ground and the ones from outside the Stone Circle on Pennards etc

[buffystar]

Pyramid stage early Monday Morning horrible site

[cejx]

Maybe an idea might be to have rubbish trucks come through the campsites half-way through the festival? Or at least leave big biffa style bins in the campsites for people to put their rubbish in.

Possibly part of the problem is that there only the oil drum style bins for people to use on site.

[indie-anna]

Im Appalled by these pictures, especially as things are supposed to be getting better year after year. Although its no excuse, the mud situation may not have helped this year. I am conducting some research into the impact that the organisers marketing campaigns have on the audiences behaviour, so all of your comments are really valid and useful, particularly some of the observations you have made. I have an online survey that is collecting the data, so if any of you have 5 mins and fancy the chance to win a £5 i tunes voucher, then I would REALLY appreciate it if you could channel some of these opinions to the survey. The results will be officially presented to the organisers when it has been published, so hopefully we can make a difference for 2013!! the survey link is

http://kwiksurveys.com/?u=glasto2011

Thanks Guys

[slipmatt]

I helped clean a bit up - Left at 5pm on Monday after bagging ourselves two brand new tents, two brand new chairs, a chair extension, 8 tins of red bull, 20 tins of beer, one bottle of bitter lemon and a pair of sunglasses from the ruins. Bargain.

[brettredmayne]

The info stands had bin bags on the Monday, Not much of an effort to go and get one