Radio 4 programme about Glastonbury 'tatters'

[Mark E. Spliff]

A quirky 15 minute piece including interviews with Eavis and others who were there from the start. Bit of a shame that the abandoned tents are scrapped, and there must be a lot of them if he's getting £8k scrap value for the aluminium frames - most are made out of plastic or fibreglass!

>link<

[grumpyhack]

Thanks for spotting that. A great listen.

[markeee]

ah cool will listen now, thanks

[russycarps]

surely £8k cant be a true figure?? You wouldnt even get £1 for a kg!

People will probably leave their tents behind now thinking they are doing the festival a favour!

[mrbossed]

surely £8k cant be a true figure?? You wouldnt even get £1 for a kg!

People will probably leave their tents behind now thinking they are doing the festival a favour!

[mrtourette]

How many kg per tent?

[mikeb]

One word: Gazebos

By far the majority of tents are likely to have GRP poles surely because they're mostly new, mostly cheap and it has to be said, mostly frequently left behind. I really don't think I've seen anyone putting up a tent at any time since 2002 that's had a more traditional design. Ye Olde F10 Tent that I still use after several decades of regular faithful service has mag alloy poles but I've never seen another like it anywhere on site. I have seen a slightly more modern version of it at another festival I attend each year but that was only the once it was ages ago. The only other antique style tents I've seen are those along the top of the pyramid field and they're mostly wooden poles I think. I've also had a group in an ancient Black's patrol tent near me once but again with wooden poles I think. I suspect any similar old style frame tents are more likely to have steel poles and much less likely to get left behind in any case.

I reckon it's £8K of scrap metal primarily from (steel ?) gazebo poles rather than aluminium tent poles although steel and aluminium tent pegs probably makes up a significant part of it as well. I think I'd be prepared to put money on most gazebos making a one way trip to the site. Apart from sheer stupidity and lazyness, they're also much more likely to get damaged beyond use with the merest hint of nasty (windy) weather as well. I'm sure there have been reports from the festival in previous years that 100's/1000's of them get left behind every year which is precisely why they discourage them.

Edited January 24, 2013 by mikeb

[russycarps]

One word: Gazebos

By far the majority of tents are likely to have GRP poles surely because they're mostly new, mostly cheap and it has to be said, mostly frequently left behind. I really don't think I've seen anyone putting up a tent at any time since 2002 that's had a more traditional design. Ye Olde F10 Tent that I still use after several decades of regular faithful service has mag alloy poles but I've never seen another like it anywhere on site. I have seen a slightly more modern version of it at another festival I attend each year but that was only the once it was ages ago. The only other antique style tents I've seen are those along the top of the pyramid field and they're mostly wooden poles I think. I've also had a group in an ancient Black's patrol tent near me once but again with wooden poles I think. I suspect any similar old style frame tents are more likely to have steel poles and much less likely to get left behind in any case.

I reckon it's £8K of scrap metal primarily from (steel ?) gazebo poles rather than aluminium tent poles although steel and aluminium tent pegs probably makes up a significant part of it as well.

[Mark E. Spliff]

I thought gazebo frames tended to be cheapo white-painted mild steel tubes? Either way, my money is on the £8k worth of tent aluminium being a spurious 'fact.' I can't believe they keep a separate bin for tent aluminium - they'll just chuck all the ally into a pile and take it all to the scrapyard together. So the £8k figure will almost certainly include a mountain of aluminium beercans.

I occasionally stay til the Tuesday and there certainly is a lot of stuff left behind. The tents tend to be the junk supermarket ones so you're never going to sell them, but you can earn serious brownie-points throughout the year by giving them to your non-camping-equipped mates when they're planning an adventure. After Latitude 2008 I came away with ten cheapo pop-up tents, in as-new condition, at least two of which have been in use at every festival we've worked since.

Edited January 24, 2013 by Mark E. Spliff

[BA4 4BY]

It's a shame to hear Andrew Kerr say that he doesn't think he'll ever go to the festival again because of the state that the site gets left in. I guess it must all seem a bit surreal to him now compared to how it was at the first 'proper' festival that he persuaded Michael Eavis to hold on the site in 1971.

[Krazypinkminx]

was a great listen, but I am very gutted to see what was left behind at my first Glastonbury in 2011, I took everything home with me, was just sad to see the mess left

[Ruwise]

Very interesting! The litter situation did appall me but leaving a tractor or cars behind seriously???

[markeee]

I thought gazebo frames tended to be cheapo white-painted mild steel tubes? Either way, my money is on the £8k worth of tent aluminium being a spurious 'fact.' I can't believe they keep a separate bin for tent aluminium - they'll just chuck all the ally into a pile and take it all to the scrapyard together. So the £8k figure will almost certainly include a mountain of aluminium beercans.

I occasionally stay til the Tuesday and there certainly is a lot of stuff left behind. The tents tend to be the junk supermarket ones so you're never going to sell them, but you can earn serious brownie-points throughout the year by giving them to your non-camping-equipped mates when they're planning an adventure. After Latitude 2008 I came away with ten cheapo pop-up tents, in as-new condition, at least two of which have been in use at every festival we've worked since.

[miniand]

I've heard that they generally have a few old caravans left every year that people get for a few hundred off of ebay. These are generally clad in aluminium, I've always thought that these are probably the ones that campsite crews use but they may weigh them in.

[neilloggie]

At today's scrap prices 8k is one hell of a lot of scrap metal and ally poles and cans,