Glastonbury - no single-use plastics? You must be joking!

mattheus
Posts: 5030
Joined: 29 Dec 2008, 12:57pm
Location: Western Europe

Re: Glastonbury - no single-use plastics? You must be joking!

Post by mattheus »

175,000 people. For 4 days-ish? Have you thought about how much litter that many people leave over 4 days of away trips normally?

A few hundred tents (weighing a couple of kg each) is pretty good going I'd say.

(EDIT: cross-post with bonefishblues whom I seem to be agreeing with)
Bonefishblues
Posts: 10977
Joined: 7 Jul 2014, 9:45pm
Location: Near Bicester Oxon

Re: Glastonbury - no single-use plastics? You must be joking!

Post by Bonefishblues »

mattheus wrote:
(EDIT: cross-post with bonefishblues whom I seem to be agreeing with)

That's quite enough of that now :wink:

...but yes, we do. Can we for once try to focus on the positive part of something, anything, on this Forum :D
User avatar
horizon
Posts: 11275
Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Cornwall

Re: Glastonbury - no single-use plastics? You must be joking!

Post by horizon »

Just to be negative a bit longer ... :D

We are always told that people won't recycle or won't do this or that so it's no use asking them to (tell that to all the people down my road who put out stacks of recycling every Monday). People are amazing: they just needed a great big nudge and hey presto! And that's a couple of hundred thousand people all doing something positive - that will have an even greater effect I'm sure. I've been humbled on this thread. :)
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Bmblbzzz
Posts: 6249
Joined: 18 May 2012, 7:56pm
Location: From here to there.

Re: Glastonbury - no single-use plastics? You must be joking!

Post by Bmblbzzz »

If you want to persuade the remaining 0.7% or the larger numbers at some other festivals to take their tents home, it would be good to find out why they leave them. It's obviously difficult to trace the owners of abandoned tents so in the absence of such research (though you could do something similar with massive follow ups of everyone on festival attendance lists), here's my speculation:
[*]Bought a tent sold as disposable/pop up/festival for eg £20 with the intention of abandoning it.
[*]Bought a tent sold as disposable/pop up/festival for eg £20 with the intention of taking it home, but it was in such bad condition it was not reusable.
[*]Used a decent tent but it was ruined at the festival.
[*]At the end of the festival, I was too drunk/stoned/tired to deal with it/remember it.
[*]Met an amazing wo/man at the festival, spent all my nights in their tent and went home with them and their tent.
[*]Had a row with the friend/partner I was sharing the tent with and we both left it to the other to clear up.
[*]After five days, I never want to see another tent again in my life.
etc

Another point is that taking the tent home does not in itself guarantee the tent will be reused. If people want to get angry about abandoned tents, I reckon their ire is best aimed at Millets/Argos/Cotswold Outdoor/Blacks/Wilkos/etc selling cheap, tatty, disposable - marketed explicitly as such - items.
User avatar
661-Pete
Posts: 10593
Joined: 22 Nov 2012, 8:45pm
Location: Sussex

Re: Glastonbury - no single-use plastics? You must be joking!

Post by 661-Pete »

It'll come as no surprise, I reckon, to hear me say, I don't "get" Glastonbury. OK I'm an ageing party-pooper, I suppose, but I doubt if anyone can convince me of the 'pleasures' of tramping around in a muddy litter-strewn field, having shelled out ginourmous wads of readies for the privilege, in order to listen to some far-off over-amplified caterwauling [I suppose I have to say "music" - but to me it's caterwauling: I'd just as soon visit an abattoir and listen to the piggies squealing their death-throes...]

I suppose it's the freely-handed-around drugs. Gawd help us! What is it with drug users? OK, do I have to admit joining their ranks - briefly? In Peru, after much urging on from my fellow tourists, I sampled one, repeat one, small cup of coca tea, being persuaded that it would help to counter altitude sickness. It didn't - but then I didn't suffer from altitude sickness anyway. What it did was make me feel woozy for a few minutes: I'd just got on a bus, and I was convinced the bus was already moving, but it was still stationary in the car park. That's all - and the effect wore off after a few minutes. Anyway, no more mate de coca for Yours Truly!

What else is there at Glasto? The atmosphere? (see above). Meeting people? Eh?
Suppose that this room is a lift. The support breaks and down we go with ever-increasing velocity.
Let us pass the time by performing physical experiments...
--- Arthur Eddington (creator of the Eddington Number).
User avatar
661-Pete
Posts: 10593
Joined: 22 Nov 2012, 8:45pm
Location: Sussex

Re: Glastonbury - no single-use plastics? You must be joking!

Post by 661-Pete »

Talking of tents, we still have in our loft an ageing - but still perfectly serviceable, only used for two or three trips - canvas family tent: sleeps four in two separate inner tents: quite comfortable. No good for backpacking or cycling of course: it can only be transported in a car. Anyone want to take it off our hands (we've outgrown the camping bug)? I'll take any reasonable offer. I suppose I could stick it up on fleabay.....

Just so long as it isn't dumped anywhere. :(
Suppose that this room is a lift. The support breaks and down we go with ever-increasing velocity.
Let us pass the time by performing physical experiments...
--- Arthur Eddington (creator of the Eddington Number).
Cyril Haearn
Posts: 15215
Joined: 30 Nov 2013, 11:26am

Re: Glastonbury - no single-use plastics? You must be joking!

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Meeting 177 000 people? May one meet fellow curmudgeons there, or is this forum better for that porpoise? :wink:
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120
Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott
We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
User avatar
661-Pete
Posts: 10593
Joined: 22 Nov 2012, 8:45pm
Location: Sussex

Re: Glastonbury - no single-use plastics? You must be joking!

Post by 661-Pete »

Cyril Haearn wrote:May one meet fellow curmudgeons there, or is this forum better for that porpoise? :wink:
Got it in one! :lol:
Suppose that this room is a lift. The support breaks and down we go with ever-increasing velocity.
Let us pass the time by performing physical experiments...
--- Arthur Eddington (creator of the Eddington Number).
Post Reply