British festivals get serious on plastic

(Gottwood)

Earlier this year, more than 60 independent British festivals pledged to rid their sites of single-use plastic by 2021. The Association of Independent Festivals unveiled the plans in a blaze of publicity, with the festivals involved 'wrapping' their websites in plastic for 24 hours to raise awareness.

While undoubtedly a positive step, it is perhaps surprising that such an initiative has taken so long to gain widespread support. Many festivals have long prided themselves on their determinedly eco-conscious attitude.

Glastonbury might be having a fallow year in 2018, but it is a leading example of the ethos. Indeed, it's commitment to missing a festival every fourth year is to give the land, wildlife and surrounding villages a welcome break. Plentiful opportunities to recycle and refill water bottles on site, alongside ubiquitous urges for campers to 'leave no trace', are as much a part of the Glasto culture as waist-height mud. The impressive green credentials form part of what convinces its loyal fan base to make the annual pilgrimage.

The remote rural location of Green Man festival in the majestic Brecon Beacons has inspired organisers to use local materials to create some of its 10 areas, with school groups and community projects encouraged to reuse any structures that remain after the partygoers have gone home.

The festival has green in its name so perhaps its no surprise that it also takes recycling very seriously. It has moved away from plastic bottles, got rid of straws completely and serves all drinks in biodegradable cups.

Food and drink waste accounts for a huge proportion of plastic waster at festivals sites. Bristol’s Love Saves The Day is so committed to its green message that organisers carried out on the spot checks to ensure vendors are serving bio-degradable takeaway trays and cutlery, as well as banning straws. “No single-use plastic bottles were allowed on site with the exception of water and we had Frank Water [a charity funding clean water in Indian and Nepal] participating in a greater capacity to encourage people to fill reusable bottles,” Love Saves The Day's Louis Gray explains. “The festival ran on 100% biofuel from sustainable sources with the focus on collecting data on energy usage, demand and efficiency in order to improve for future editions.”

Inner city festivals are in on the act, too. At Barclaycard's annual summer event British Summertime in London's Hyde Park, all packaging used by traders is either recycled or is completely eco-friendly or bio-degradable. A spokesperson for the festival says: "Where possible our traders will even often share infrastructure and logistics with other traders to lessen impact on their carbon footprint. Many of our traders ensure all their cooking oil is recycled and refined into biodiesel at the end of the season."

Sourced Market, who curate the food offering at British Summertime, even have their own greengrocer wholesale shop on site, so traders can top up on their stock without driving vans to go and get them – now that’s green. Meanwhile Just Eat has launched a three-day street food festival in London which aims to be one of the most environmentally friendly festivals yet. Food Fest 2018, which runs from 20 - 22 July in Shoreditch, will only serve food in packaging that's compostible, all cutlery is wooden, there are Ooho cocktail seaweed sachets available from Skipping Rocks and even the Just Eat stickers on packaging are biodegradable.

A new generation of festivals are embracing and elevating their eco-focus. Whiel the trend might owe much to the Blue Planet effect, it won't end here - expect bio-degradable dancefloors and completely carbon negative festival experiences in the near future.