This eco-friendly festival gear, is ideal if you like going to musical festivals. The real (not good) surprise is that after the lockdown, instead of people appreciating nature, it seems half the world came out and littered the campsites, parks and beaches with broken bottles, cigarette butts and trash. All unsightly and damaging to wildlife too.
In Germany, Waterkant Festival is the first to be totally zero waste. From recycled furniture (unpainted) to paper straws and cloth napkins, this shows how it can be done. There is so little waste that only one big bin was fulled during the entire festival.
Eco-Friendly Festival Gear
- Use zero waste feminine care products. Often camping toilets have no water supply, and you shouldn’t flush disposables down the loo anyway. Choose from reusable washable towels or menstrual cups are probably a good choice for camping and festivals. You can even buy organic ‘period underwear’ that you wash when you get home.
- KarTent is a Dutch invention. Made from strong cardboard, it keeps you in the dark at night, and protects against the elements. It also prevents the huge waste of nylon tents, as it biodegrades after use. Tents are pretty easy to leave in the event of fire, and these don’t have ropes to trip over. And you can buy a matching cardboard chair to sit outside.
- Campsites can install Natsol composting toilets. These are clean, modern and easy to use, and they offer versions for disabled festival goers.
- Be careful, as some ‘biodegradable glitter’ is just as bad for the planet. Conventional glitter has microplastics, but some ‘eco glitter’ is also coated in non-biodegradable materials.
Avoid Littering at Festivals
- If you smoke, use a personal ashtray to immediately distinguish cigarettes, to avoid litter and wildfires. Festivals can help by litter bins for cigarettes and chewing gum (most contain xylitol, which is toxic to dogs and wildlife).
- Choose beers wrapped in biodegradable cardboard, not plastic (Stella Artois sells vegan beer in cardboard packaging). Ensure you recycle glass bottles and cans (both can harm wildlife).
