Yes, I know, Electric Picnic was ages ago at this stage but I’ve spent most of my ensuing week off in a post-EP daze followed by post-EP sickness, so only now am I mentally able for this thread: That was my 10th year in a row going and I have a lot of thoughts about The Rubbish.
Eimear, who has the unfortunate luck to have spent several years of EP in my company, hit a nail on the head here - it could be made a lot easier for everyone, even those who already do, to clean up.
The recycling points were in logical spots but not in terms of the flow of people - rather than being placed on paths to/from main arena, they were a little hidden near campsites exits, and you’d usually have to navigate a few tents/guide ropes to get there.
The amount of bins always seems piecemeal (in campsite, main arena is FULL of them). No one wants the campsite full of bins, and god love anyone who camps next to one, but more would make it a lot easier to chuck rubbish in as the weekend goes on.
There’s also little encouragement to actually do anything about your rubbish. No one asking you on the Monday morning to pick it up, or encouraging you to keep the place in good nick during the weekend.
Needless to say, the current system would work if everyone was perfect, but after three days sleeping in a tent and probably spending the rest of the time out of their bin, they’re not, and it has been demonstrated that many won’t clean up after themselves. New ideas needed.
One option I’ve heard suggested could be volunteers roving the campsites with bin bags, and collecting them later when full, although I can imagine a certain cohort of festival goers wouldn’t give a shite even with this level of help.
It would be good to see Festival Republic consider of some the methods other festivals have tried, - and that @CByrneGreen has outlined in this piece - but again, it is so difficult to get to the nub of the problem jrnl.ie/4224169
We always try to keep a bin bag handy and clean up after ourselves, but yes yes it was me yes I have myself left cheap tents behind in the past because sometimes that’s how you feel on the Monday morning, facing the trek home. Thankfully I am gaining more cop on as I age.
A big problem is the fact that most of what we buy is cheap and disposable, but look, there’s little reason to bring that into the equation, there’s little Festival Republic and the team who try their absolute best to keep EP clean can do to change that before next year...
... but it is the reason why it’s worth paying a bit of attention to the problem. Yes, the place is bulldozed after the festival, so does it even matter? We should try, even a little, to make turning a field into a temporary landfill once a year anything but the norm.
Okay I’m done now. Lads just pick up your rubbish ffs.
