How to be a more sustainable festival-goer
Half of the rubbish left behind at music festivals comes from campsites – tents, equipment, clothing and personal belongings – abandoned by attendees, like the previous few days’ personal hygiene.
The grim statistic comes from the Cleaner Campsites Festival Study conducted in 2019 by Green Music Australia, an organisation helping the music industry to adopt greener, more sustainable practices.
The same survey found that half of respondents didn’t believe their festival waste would end up in landfill, with 55 per cent saying it wasn't their responsibility to clean up after themselves.
Green Music Australia’s CEO Berish Bilander says a lot of the responsibility for lowering the environmental impact of music festivals is up to event organisers.
But that doesn’t mean music lovers can’t do their bit. Beyond making sure you take your rubbish home with you, here’s how you can be more sustainable and responsible when you party outdoors this summer.
Sustainability starts before you leave home
Not all festivals are created equal when it comes to sustainability so when you’re choosing where you go, prioritise the festival’s approach to waste and sustainability as much as you would the line-up, food options and where your mates are headed.
"Some of the festivals that are leading the way are Queenscliff, Strawberry Fields, Womad and Island Vibes," says Berish.
"They run a full reuse system. That means the cups, the crockery the cutlery are all reusable. It’s all washed either onsite or afterwards, or a combination of both. People simply have no choice but to go with reused."
Queenscliff Music Festival was formally recognised for their 'War on Waste' efforts at Victoria’s Premier’s Sustainability Awards. The event went ‘fully reusable’ for all vendors and 24,000 attendees, resulting in only 178kg of waste being sent to landfill over the 3-day festival.
Berish says there is a real difference between sites that are reusables-only and those that have overflowing bins everywhere.
“They become really beautiful sites where you’re not wading through plastic rubbish."
Plan properly
Party With the Planet is currently developing an app with University of Technology Queensland that will help punters to camp better by planning better.
The app will offer a curated list of camping items specific to a festival’s facilities and needs, helping campers to adopt a minimalist approach and ensure they don’t bring along too much stuff (much of which could potentially end up in landfill).
It includes a section where you can work with your festival group and assign responsibility to each member to coordinate what they are bringing, and where or how they’ll obtain each item.
The app is still in the works, but you can get the ball rolling before it’s released by working with your festival crew to create a shared list of what camping items you need, and where you’ll get them, avoiding a scenario where you arrive with 3 extra tents but no sleeping bags.
Take, borrow or hire good quality gear
Leading into the 2020 summer period, Green Music Australia piloted a program with Clunes, an outdoor camping shop, to hire out high quality tents and marquees onsite at Strawberry Fields and at Falls, Lorne. All but one tent was returned.
“Because there was a high deposit price, but the actual hire-price was low, it really incentivised people to return the tents in good condition,” says Berish.
“And because the stuff was booked and onsite ready to be picked up, people didn’t have to buy it and transport it themselves. The value proposition is solid and that pilot demonstrated that it’s a very viable business model.”
Good Intentions is another group doing this, but with a twist. They not only hire out gear, but refurbish and repair discarded or broken tents from festival sites past, saving them from landfill.
“The goal is to move people away from the last-minute Kmart purchases. That cheaper item is more likely to break and then it’s more likely it will be left behind and end up in landfill."
So, don't abandon your tent. If it breaks and can’t be used as a shelter anymore, try to repair it. If not, consider this: tent poles and stakes can hold up plants in the garden, or you could put them on your local buy-sell-swap Facebook page. Someone might have a tent without enough poles and pegs. You can also use the tent material as a waterproof cover for your bike or backpack.
Avoid single-use plastics
Single-use plastic was once a festival go-to for food and drinks. Now, sustainable reusable options are more widely available.
Although single-use plastics are still prevalent at most festivals, bringing your own plates, bowls, cups and cutlery is always the best way to avoid it. Bring extras for your mates who are less organised than you are.
Find what you need at op-shops to avoid bringing virgin plastic into the loop. And take care of it so it can be your camping and festival go-to for years to come.
Other tips for being sustainable
- Avoid buying new outfits for your festival look. Go op-shopping, trade clothes with your mates, or get your colleagues involved by organising an office swap session at lunchtime.
- Carpool to and from the festival, or use public transport where you can. Festivals often offer shuttle buses to make getting in and out easier.
- If you’re done with your festival gear when the event is over, clean it off and donate it or sell it online. Most tents cannot be recycled, so keep them out of the recycling bin and try finding them a new home instead.
- Clean up after yourself. It sounds obvious, but respect for the land, the community that lives near the festival site, and the land’s traditional owners will improve future festivals for everyone and ensure they can keep running.