National media images and drone footage of tonnes of rubbish , including thousands of abandoned tents discarded at festival sites , is not a good look for an industry that has fought hard for the return of full capacity events . Access explores what is being done to tackle the problem .
Words : Christopher Barrett
S hocking images of the debris left strewn across the sites of some of the UK ’ s biggest and best-known festivals have been widely published across the media . Festival waste is not a new issue but , having overcome huge hurdles to secure the return of fullcapacity events , incurred the significant cost of Covid mitigation measured and faced many supply chain dramas , the industry could surely have at least expected punters to play their part and take home their belongings .
While some media outlets , including The Sun , blamed the mess on “ shameful ” and “ lazy ” festival-goers , it was nonetheless a PR problem the festival sector could have done without , not least at a time when there were reports of festivals being associated with spikes in Covid cases .
Among the festivals highlighted in the media reports were Festival Republic ’ s 105,000-capacity Reading and Leeds ( 75,000 ) but it is certainly not limited to the Live Nation-owned company ’ s events . Festival Republic MD Melvin Benn was a key player behind sustainability charter
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