10 ways to be sustainable this festival season

The UK’s festival season is well underway and we’re thinking about how to be an eco-conscious reveller. These days, the golden rule at most festivals is to leave nothing behind but good vibes. From travel choices and reducing your waste on-site, to energy-saving advice for the home, here are 10 ways to be sustainable this festival season:

1. Turn off your appliances at home 🔌

You can start making sustainable choices before you even get to the festival by turning off appliances at home. Switching them off at the wall while you’re away will save energy (and money!),  something we’re all more conscious of as energy prices rise.

2. Use public transport or car share 🚌

Buses, trains and (sharing) automobiles are all great alternatives to driving yourself to a festival. Some UK festivals have coach tickets you can buy along with your festival pass, or you can look on social media for car-sharing groups. You might even make some new friends on the way!

3. Choose plastic-free toiletries 🧽

We’ve written a whole blog post about eco-friendly toiletries. The short end of the toothbrush is: switch out plastic bottles for solid bars of hair products, soap and deodorant! This brings us nicely on to…

4. Flannels: the original wet wipe 🧼

Wet wipes are discouraged at many festivals, even biodegradable ones. If you can avoid them by using a flannel and water instead, great! If you do need to bring wet wipes with you, choose biodegradable ones that you can take home to be composted. Remember, compostable and biodegradable products should be put into a compost bin or heap at home, not in the food waste!

5. Swap single-use items for reusables 🥤

Take a cup, lunch box and metal or bamboo straw with you. Most festival bars and food stands will be happy to fill your reusable containers instead of serving your food and drink in a disposable one.

6. Suss out your on site recycling options ♻️

More and more festivals are offering a full range of recycling bins, including food waste and cup bins. You usually won’t have to walk far to find one either.

7. Bin your butts 🚬

Cigarette butts are one of the worst offenders for litter at festivals and on streets in general. Look out for cigarette bins at the festival and take a cigarette butt pouch with you so you can hold on to them until you find a bin.

8. Festival fashion doesn’t have to mean fast fashion 👗

If your glad rags need updating this festival season, check out places Vinted, DePop or eBay before buying new. Or why not upcycle something you already own with sequinned patches? Choosing any of these over a fast-fashion website will give you a much more original and unique look – festival fashion is about standing out after all!

9. Say goodbye glitter ✨

Who doesn’t love a face full of glitter? Local wildlife, for a start. Unfortunately, even biodegradable glitter is not as environmentally friendly as it claims to be. Face paint can be a more environmentally-friendly option if you want to dive face-first into the festival aesthetic. You could even add a bit of reusable sparkle by adding a one or two gems you can keep safe and use again next year.

10. The other golden rule: take your tent home with you! ⛺️

Every year thousands of tents are left behind at UK festivals, and it’s estimated only a small percentage of these can be recycled or donated to charity. If you’re camping at a festival this year, please don’t pitch and ditch. Instead, invest in a good quality tent you can take with you next year (or use for your next staycation!)