I thought the younger generation cared about the planet?

After doing my supermarket shop this morning, I stopped to put my empty bottles in the bottle bank. Our council don’t collect glass, don’t ask me why. The bins were full to overflowing before I shopped, but had been emptied by the time I finished.

I spent several minutes picking up heaps of discarded bottles kicking about on the ground. It infuriates me, if the bins are full, I take mine home with me until next time. How people can just dump them really annoys me.

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They should be prosecuted for fly tipping.
I imagine the organisers know they are,it`s a disgrace.
I believe the majority are over 30 years of age.

Smileless2012

I couldn't believe it when I saw the pictures. There were so many tents I thought everyone was still there.

Hasn't it become a "thing" over recent years that people leave camping gear behind so that it can go to the homeless. I know my kids used to buy cheap camping gear and bring it home and give it to charity shops or sometimes just leave it in a cupboard. The last couple of times they went they left their gear because they thought it was a good cause.

You can't win really.

Obviously litter is a different matter, no excuse for that but I do wonder if there are enough waste collection bins. I know at my local beach there aren't enough bins and at busy times there is litter. I had a day out to another seaside town with lots of bins and very little litter, in fact I don't think we saw any. So I think the organisers also have a responsibility.

grannypiper

My son used to go to the Download festival, every year he came home with a better tent, chair, sleeping bag an cool bags than what he went with ( he brought his old things back too) The last year he went, he arranged for my Husband to pick him up in one of his work trucks. DS had bought a stack of tents, chairs and coolbags. He stored them in my husbands yard during the winter and come the summer he sold "festival packs" made up from the bargains he had bought the year before. He made enough to travel Europe for 6 months.

My kids will be upset that someone might be cashing in on the stuff they leave believing it will go to the homeless. How sad.

I’ve done many Xmas day dinners for a lot of religious denominations. The only one I found who didn’t preach in any way was the Quakers.

I have lived near Reading for 30 years. This year's waste was no different to any other year except this year we had 100,000 'guests' rather than the usual 60-80,000. Young people do care but they also need to let off steam. The festival organisers need to be held responsible for providing adequate waste collection on site too as I am reliably informed that this is inadequate.

Roddi3363

I have lived near Reading for 30 years. This year's waste was no different to any other year except this year we had 100,000 'guests' rather than the usual 60-80,000. Young people do care but they also need to let off steam. The festival organisers need to be held responsible for providing adequate waste collection on site too as I am reliably informed that this is inadequate.

but there shouldn't be the waste! Shouldn't we be trying to avoid single use ANYTHING....you don't need to buy single use plastics or to set fire to stuff or smear faeces around to let off steam

I'm not sure it is right to assume that the young people who attended the Reading Festival represent all young people. It is not everybody's idea of fun to camp in a field with only very basic amenities.

On the face of it, it does look pretty appalling, but unless there are lots of facilities, like maybe skips, to dump large items like unused tents and plenty of large bins for general waste, I suppose it is unlikely people will take rubbish with them unless they have a car.

Teacheranne, I think you're right. The festival goers are being misled into thinking they are doing good by leaving camping gear behind. So perhaps it's time for the organisers to make this clear and insist all tents are at least packed away and then maybe dropped off somewhere, rather than just abandoning them in situ.

As someone who used to do these rallies. Up until covid on my personal experience it was the young generation that left them behind. I used to be shocked on some really expensive stuff that got left.a lot of it is just pure lazy because they can’t be bothered.Us older folk tend to have more sense when it comes to money a lot of young generation tend to think it’s easy replaceable. But at least a lot of the stuff went to help the homeless so not all bad I guess.

My son had to get rid of his tent after a festival last weekend because the zips were beyond repair. He had used it for several festivals and camping before it gave up the ghost. It was packed away in its little bag and disposed of in our dustbin. Not all young people are like the ones who abandoned their stuff. He was more upset that at each festival he has been to, including this one, his chair has been stolen. Apparently there are gangs of people who go round stealing chairs as they are in hot demand.

It's the norm at any festival and has been for years. Just too much trouble to dismantle tents and take them away for further use and clear up their mess. It's the oh someone else will clear it up after all we have paid to camp here attitude.

I think many of us are 'Baby Boomers' that is people born in the 50's and 60's. Many of the younger generation blame us for many things including global warming. However, I was born in the 50's I can remember that nobody in my road had a car, my mother used to walk to the shops everyday where the fresh groceries were wrapped in paper not plastic, we didn't go on overseas holidays because we couldn't afford it and we passed our clothes and shoes down to our younger siblings. Everything was recycled because post war many people were poor, many home didn't have electricity or heating and finally we didn't have any electronic devices so I am not sure how we are responsible for Global warming.

And yet.........the irony is that, according to a number of younger people, the boomers are responsible for the mess the planet is in.

I think the facts here are that many people, however much they care about a cause tend to forget about it if remembering becomes inconvenient.

Plus the tendency many, perhaps all people have, to behave worse when they are in a large group.

They can't be bothered carting the stuff home again, so they leave it. Reprehensible, but the attitude is hard to change.

I believe that herein Denmark the problem has to some extent been solved by festival managements putting up notices stating that tents, sleeping bags and other useable items left behind will be given to one of the charities running shelters for the homeless.

Stating this conspicuously makes it legal to do so, whereas if you just pick it up and hand it over it constitues theft!

Jackiest

Some of the younger generation do care. This is why you should never generalise and think all people in one group are the same. Many people divide the world up into young, old, men, women, this race, that race instead of treating everyone as an individual.

This.

I don't feel able to judge about who does or does not care about the planet; but I am blown away by the fact that the festival-goers are rich enough to just leave all this equipment.

I was brought up in the "waste no, want not" era and this really shocks me.

It’s not just at festivals. Did you see the mess and litter left behind by XR after their last protest?
Makes me see red.
I’m in my 70s and have been doing my bit to help the planet all my life and I’m sick of these hypocritical people of any age who preach one thing and practice another.

Luckygirl

I don't feel able to judge about who does or does not care about the planet; but I am blown away by the fact that the festival-goers are rich enough to just leave all this equipment.

I was brought up in the "waste no, want not" era and this really shocks me.

Well they probably didn’t pay for it. Probably their over indulgent parents did.

How about charging EVERY festival goer a very large deposit on entry. Refundable only on proof of exit with the tents et al.

vegansrock

I’ve never read any where that all younger people care about the planet and all older people don’t. Why have a go at Greta Thurnberg, XR into it? Why not mention David Attenborough? Where have they ever said that it’s all old peoples fault? There plenty of selfish young people and selfish old people, plenty of young people who care about the planet and plenty of older people who care about the planet too. These sort of sweeeping lazy generalisations just an excuse to belittle environmental campaigns.

It’s probably because Greta Thunberg stood up on a podium and actually pointed her finger and blamed the older generation.
That after taking a plane and flying to America to preach her message. Cheeky madam!

HannahLoisLuke

vegansrock

I’ve never read any where that all younger people care about the planet and all older people don’t. Why have a go at Greta Thurnberg, XR into it? Why not mention David Attenborough? Where have they ever said that it’s all old peoples fault? There plenty of selfish young people and selfish old people, plenty of young people who care about the planet and plenty of older people who care about the planet too. These sort of sweeeping lazy generalisations just an excuse to belittle environmental campaigns.

It’s probably because Greta Thunberg stood up on a podium and actually pointed her finger and blamed the older generation.
That after taking a plane and flying to America to preach her message. Cheeky madam!

She doesn't fly anywhere. She went by boat.

vegansrock

Yes I think they are sent to homeless/ refugee charities, so festival goers will know that, and if they aren’t going to reuse the tent they may as well leave it.

What about when the next festival happens? Do they, or more likely their parents just buy another cheap, throwaway tent and then leave that behind too?
Just because volunteers go on site and clear up their mess and donate any useable tents to charity is no excuse in my opinion.