Photos taken hours after revellers left this year’s Reading Festival reveals thousands of tents and piles of rubbish were left behind on the site. More than 100,000 people attended the festival at Little John's Farm in the Berkshire town on August bank holiday. Drone footage showed piles of waste remained on the grounds after everyone vacated, including food packaging, broken tents, sleeping bags, and blow-up mattress.
The event takes place with the blessing of Reading councillors, who request a report each year allowing them to scrutinise the organisers. Those reports show that the issue of abandoned tents is not a new one. In 2024, Festival Republic, which runs Reading and Leeds festivals, said that 702 tonnes of waste was produced.
In 2024, 71 tonnes – about 10 per cent of the total waste – was made up of tents, while in 2023, the leftover tents weighed 80 tonnes. Some people mistakenly believe that leaving tents and camping gear behind will result in the kit being automatically packed up and donated to charity. However, while some leftover camping gear does get donated, it mostly ends up discarded.
Festival goers are urged to take their belongings home with them to reduce waste or use the designated on-site donation points, rather than just leaving it in the field. Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
In a post on Facebook, FatFranks Festival-essentials, which provides camping gear, urged people to donate their unwanted items. It said: “If you’ve decided you no longer want to keep your camping equipment, please consider donating any reusable items at one of the donation points at each stall. Reading Repairium collects the donations and the proceeds go to Berkshire Youth, a local charity dedicated to supporting young people.
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