Photos taken hours after revellers left this 12 months’s Reading Festival reveal thousands of tents and piles of rubbish have been left behind on the site.
More than 100,000 people attended the pageant at Little John’s Farm within the Berkshire city on August bank holiday.
Drone footage confirmed piles of waste remained on the grounds after everybody vacated, together with meals packaging, damaged tents, sleeping luggage, and blow-up mattress.
The occasion takes place with the blessing of Reading councillors, who request a report every year permitting them to scrutinise the organisers.
Those experiences present that the problem of deserted tents will not be a brand new one.
In 2024, Festival Republic, which runs Reading and Leeds festivals, stated that 702 tonnes of waste was produced.
That was down from 780 tonnes in 2023.
In 2024, 71 tonnes – about 10 per cent of the full waste – was made up of tents, whereas in 2023, the leftover tents weighed 80 tonnes.
Some folks mistakenly consider that leaving tents and tenting gear behind will end result within the equipment being robotically packed up and donated to charity.
However, whereas some leftover tenting gear does get donated, it principally finally ends up discarded.
Festival goers are urged to take their belongings dwelling with them to cut back waste or use the designated on-site donation factors, quite than simply leaving it within the area.
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In a publish on Facebook, FatFranks Festival-essentials, which supplies tenting gear, urged folks to donate their undesirable gadgets.
It stated: “If you’ve decided you no longer want to keep your camping equipment, please consider donating any reusable items at one of the donation points at each stall.
“Your unwanted equipment can be put to good use and donated to local charities, animal sanctuaries and schools, helping people and organisations in our communities who need it.
“Don’t leave it behind, donate it and give it a second life!”
Festival-goers may also donate damaged or broken gadgets, together with campsite gear and clothes, to help charities, in accordance with the pageant organisers.
Reading Repairium collects the donations and the proceeds go to Berkshire Youth, a neighborhood charity devoted to supporting younger folks.