It has been reported that the Glastonbury clean-up will cost £785,000 and last six weeks — long after festival goers have headed home.
The festival, which saw the likes of Ed Sheeran, Foo Fighters, Radiohead, and Katy Perry take to the stage, urged music fans to enact a zero-waste policy.
Posters were also placed throughout the festival, encouraging attendees to take tents home with them as “a tent is for life not just for a festival.”
Despite pleas by organisers many tents were left behind by festival goers, some of which will be donated to charities, while others will be dumped at landfill sites throughout the local area.
Throughout the next six weeks more than 1,300 volunteers will work throughout the festival site to clean up the rubbish.
Tractors containing magnetic strips are also to be deployed throughout the site to ensure that no piece of land is left untouched by the clean-up operation.
Festival goers who volunteered throughout the festival, receiving free tickets in return, shall also stay behind to help remove the litter.
In 2014 the festival successfully recycled half the waste left behind by attendees, including:
- 400 tonnes of wood chip
- 162 tonnes of scrap metal
- 114 tonnes of composted organic waste
- 85 tonnes of plastic bottles and cans
- 41 tonnes of cardboard
- 23 tonnes of glass
- 2 tonnes of clothing, tents, and scrap metal
- 3 tonnes of dense plastic
- 264 tonnes of batteries
Organisers also introduced compost toilets at this year’s festival while plastic bags were limited throughout shops and stalls to limit the impact felt on the environment.
Food vendors were also limited in what they could offer attendees, as only compostable plates, cups and cutlery were allowed.
Glass was banned throughout the entirety of the festival grounds.
Organiser Michael Eavis has also announced that the site shall have two years to recover as he hopes that the festival will be moved to a new location in 2018.
As you pack up, please remember to… pic.twitter.com/8nJ9DX7wEt
— Glastonbury Festival (@GlastoFest) June 26, 2017
