Thirty per cent of the waste accumulated at Electric Picnic is made up of what we leave behind in our campsite.
Then, travelling to Electric Picnic makes up 80 per cent of the total carbon emissions of the festival.
Although organisers are doing all they possibly can to keep Stradbally Estate beautiful and clean, it’s true, a lot of it is up to us and the decisions we make. It’s quite simple though — just clean up after thyself.
This year, you’ll be glad to know, going green is being made that little bit more fun and even being rewarded. Oh, yes, indeed.
So, how might you get your mitts on that nifty little prize mentioned above, we hear you say. Here’s what’s happening:
Everyone at the festival will be given a free recycling bag, so be sure to make good use of it — you might just be the green champ of your campsite!
Things that can go in a green bag include:
- paper
- card
- cans
- food tins (emptied and rinsed)
- tetra packs
- cartons
- plastic bottles
- general plastic containers
- newspapers
- cardboard
- beer cases
In the clear bag, you can put:
- shopping bags
- crisp packets
- plastic bags
- straws
- wet wipes
- scrappy bits of plastic
- other rubbish
When those bags are full, bring ’em to the NiftyBin Recycling Points for your chance of winning two free tickets to Electric Picnic 2020 and a fabulous bundle of merchandise! It also just means your not a complete arse.
Then, there’s the topic of TENTS.
Tents that are left behind at the festival will be destined for the incinerator. *major sad face*
So, here are some things you should know:
Anything that’s broken — this includes chairs, gazebos, tins of unopened food, tents — will likely go to the bin/incinerator unless you bring them to the Salvage & Recycling Points (you’ll see these marked on the map) inside Electric Picnic. So give a hoot and don’t pollute.
You can also choose to give your tent another life. We urge all you soon-to-be eco-warriors to bring your tent home and take it to your nearest charity shop.
Staying at the Janis Joplin campsite? Rent a tent from Kip ‘N’ Go! These folks offer campers at the Janis Joplin campsite a quick and easy alternative to lugging around tents for just €7.50 per person, per day. They’ll kit you out entirely and when it’s time to head home, they’ll pack it away for future use. Opt to hire a two-person tent or go for the Tent Bundle that includes a tent, sleeping bags and sleeping mats.
Remember, EP is a zero-waste festival. Organisers have provided us festival-fanatics with a Three-Bin system, so there’s every opportunity around the festival grounds, at any time of day, to pop our rubbish in the right bins. Here’s a little list that’ll help…
Recyclables include:
- plastic cups
- bottles
- aluminium cans
- food tins
- tetrapaks
- beer cases
- clean and dry paper
- recycling bags etc.
(Sadly, the container of your divine green curry or the box from your glorious pizza cannot be recycled… )
Compostables include:
- food
- paper plates/cartons
- wooden cutlery
General waste includes:
- crisp packets
- plastic film
- polystyrene
- metallic packaging
- solid food cartons
- aluminium foil
- wet wipes
Everything on the general waste list heads to the incinerator, so think twice about all those nasty makeup wipes and wet wipes! They’re made from plastic (unless they specifically state otherwise or are made from renewable materials/ are compostable).
Remember too, glitter is made from etched aluminium bonded to polyethylene terephthalate — a horrid microplastic that endangers our environment, our oceans and our animal friends in the wild. Opt to get creative with flowers or edible glitter ladies. Besides, you’ll be looking gorgeous with or without!
Oh, and just as important — have an INCREDIBLE weekend. Now, to Stradbally!
