While festivals are iconic for British summer fun, they're also some of the worst events for the environment. Unfortunately, this is mainly down to the festival-goers more than anything. The good news? We're in control of most of the impact we have when at a festival. Here are some ideas you can implement to improve your festival footprint and go plastic free!
Packing Essentials
- Reusable water bottle
- Bamboo cutlery (or any kind of reusable)
- Reusable Tupperware (for your lunch)
- Raincoat (instead of buying a plastic poncho)
- Eco-glitter (if you enjoy a bit of sparkle)
- Eco-friendly washing up liquid (___ of course)
Festival food to pack
Try and buy foods with as little plastic packaging as possible. This could be:
- Nuts, seeds and dried fruits in a reusable container or paper bag
- Tinned food (tins can be recycled!)
- Oats and cereals in cardboard packaging
- Fruit which don't require packaging (apples, oranges, bananas, avocados)
Be clean, be green
Baby wipes are convenient, but not good for the environment. Not just because of the plastic packaging, but they're not often biodegradable. Instead, consider these alternatives:
- Take a good old flannel and some eco-friendly body wash
- Make your own:
- Soak squares of fabric in boiling water, aloe vera, witch hazel, castile soap and some essential oil (to smell fresh!)
- These should last in a sealable Tupperware and can be washed and reused afterwards!
#takeithome
It's estimated that nearly 250,000 tents are left at music festivals across the UK every year. This adds up to 900 tonnes of plastic waste either being transported to landfill, or lost along the way and ending up in our oceans. Remember: a tent is for life, not just for a weekend!
Go green with your glitter
… and we don't mean with the colour! Standard glitter is made from plastic, which means it’s a micro-plastic and sadly much of it ends up in our waters. Not only this, but some sources say that when glitter breaks down it releases chemicals that can disrupt human and animal hormones.
On a happier note, there are such products called eco-glitter which are biodegradable. Check out Eco Glitter Fun!
If you have any other tips for going plastic-free at festivals comment under this post!