The morning after the night the Reading Festival concluded, and the festival goers disseminated, photographer David White took off in a helicopter to capture the scene of the campsite. The 90,000 strong crowd that collected at the venue to enjoy the 3-day music festival had left behind a chaos of abandoned tents, beer cans, cigarette butts, half-eaten food, discarded packaging, grubby clothes, sleeping bags and a sea of plastic.
It may look like the aftermath of an apocalyptic event – a campsite tornado, or perhaps the first stages of a landfill site - but this is the scene as the crowds dispersed at Reading festival.
“Camping gear is so cheap these days that people seem to make it part of their festival package budget, and don’t bother to take it with them when they leave,” a festival insider told The Daily Mail.
“If eight people are crammed into one tent it’s only going to cost them a few quid each. We do everything we can to encourage people to take their stuff with them when they leave but it’s a question of social responsibility. At the end of the day it’s down to the individual.”
A “Love Your Tent” campaign that the organizers launched imploring people to pack up and remove their camping gear clearly didn’t work.
A huge clear-up operation began within hours of the annual Bank Holiday event closing on Monday. Last year more than 20 tons of re-useable equipment was salvaged, and this year the figure is expected to be even higher. Some will be offered to local charities but damaged or unplaced equipment will be destined for landfill sites. Unopened cans of food, some of which was donated at designated drop-off points around the campsite, will be recovered and distributed. Tractors towing magnets are used to collect metal tent pegs and other potentially dangerous metal objects, and volunteers will work with specialized rubbish-clearance teams eventually to return the field to its original state.
The clean-up operation is expected to take 2 weeks.
Lefties are slobs!
ReplyDeletePeople can be so irresponsible, especially in large groups. I can't imagine why organizers would want to keep having festivals like this if so much work is required for cleanup afterwards. This certainly isn't a case of a few bad ones ruining it for everyone else.
ReplyDeleteDisgusting!
ReplyDeletein the festival itself they were doing a refund for cups and bottles to help keep it more tidy they should add a litter charge to the the ticket if people complain then it might deter people in future and who says they are all lefties leaving the trash that normally the conservatives.
ReplyDeleteYou don't see this kind of trash left by Tea Party groups. But I have seen this filthy rubbish left behind by those disgusting hippie retreads "occupy wall street" types.
DeleteWhy not just increase ticket prices, and then pay people to clean it up? Employment win. Why not donate all the discarded tents? Charitable organization win. Why not stop bitching about something that is not really a problem at all? Rationality win.
ReplyDeleteDid you read the article? They do donate the camping equipment that's still reusable
DeleteLefties are the same as righties.
ReplyDeleteHumans are slobs. Those at the party need to go back and clean up.
These weren't Tea Partiers!
DeleteWhy does my comment need to be approved.
ReplyDeleteIf a am wise and you are a fool why do you get the honor of approving my comment.
Freedom of speech.
I guess you dont believe in that.
Takes 2 wings to fly right and left.
ReplyDeleteObviously this festival is about making money. Nothing else.
ReplyDeleteVery right wing notion.
However I think the people are responsible for the mess.
I dont get to go to many festivals. I have work to feed my children. Perhaps if i made more money i could afford to be a pig too. Luxury. Pigs like to roll in filth. Perhaps humans do as well. Looks like three days of filth.
Oh and when you read those self help books because you feel empty inside.
Maybe you where at this festival. And forgot your resposibility to humanity and the world you dont deserve to belong in.
I am interested to see what you approve.
ReplyDeleteThis is how Europeans roll. That's why they had to go out and colonize other people's land. Something about doing things you shouldn't where you eat.
ReplyDeleteWe're more than half European descendants here in the US, but, despite our bad rep, here you'd never see such filth at a large festival. The left here has grown to be much more personally accountable.
What on earth are you talking about?
DeleteLooking at the music lineup, I can't imagine that this festival draws the most socially responsible people who live with a raised consciousness. I can't imagine what it would be like to party with 90,000 bozos, here or in England.
ReplyDeleteNice of you to generalise 90,000 people. Have you ever been to a festival? No I expect not, you probably spend more time complaining over your computer than ever actually getting out and doing something fun with your life. Now if you had gone to the festival you would realise the festival doesn't provide large bins or bin bags to help people clear up.
DeleteIdk why y'all think this is a lefty/righty issue. Totally stupid and missing the mark which is that SUSTAINABILITY is something that we all need to be thinking about all of the time to make sure that waste like this doesn't happen and that festivals can continue to occur. Last time I checked, there were tons of "lefties" and "righties" enjoying these festivals together. So just clean up after yourselves and stop being...what's the word...an ASSHOLE.
ReplyDeleteCan't we all just get along?
DeleteThank you, fading.requiem!
DeleteA voice of reason
Wound up being more disgusted with the comments than the photos.
ReplyDeleteBehaviour breeds Bevahiour :: One person does it then the next, then soon they are all doing it. Stop the Behaviour at source.
ReplyDeleteBonnaroo is a perfect example of a festival that promotes recycling and cleaning. I could never in my life imagine camp grounds looking like that after it was over. I'm really concerned about this festival and want to reach out to the promoters to find out what the problem is.
ReplyDeleteIs it really that Europeans are just more "dirty"? I could argue against that because I've seen more different kinds of recycle bins while in Europe than over here in the states. But then again, I've seen young people here just toss all sorts of trash out of their car windows. So maybe it's just the youth. The youth and their total disregard.
If people are going to leave perfectly good tents behind then we should collect them up and Red Cross could use them to house people in the next natural disaster or refugee crisis. These tents would seem like luxury in these situations. Consider it brat tax.
ReplyDeletewtf this isnt even a problem, simply call up the local air sea or army cadets XD
ReplyDeleteWhat a mess how can we accept this when so much of the world has so little?
ReplyDeleteIn Germany (I've experienced it at Melt! Festival), you receive a voucher. When you handle your trash at a designated spot together with the voucher, you receive a small amount of cash or a festival goodie. Next to that, Germany has a very strict policy on the recycling of plastic bottles and beer cans. At the festival, there is a €1,- 'Pfand'. When you turn in your cup, you get your euro back or a €1,- discount on your next drink. It has its drawbacks, but it's a welcome solution. Here in The Netherlands we are experimenting with cardbord tents (KarTent) on festivals. I agree that the amount of trash left by festivalgoers is shocking. I think the problem lies more at the festival camp site (where people bring their own stuff) opposed to the festival site itself.
ReplyDelete