More than 60 UK festivals have pledged to rid their sites of single-use plastic by 2021.
The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) have established a three-year target for their ‘Drastic On Plastic’ campaign, and their members have also committed to banning plastic straws starting this year. It is planned for the restrictions to include plastic bottles, face glitter and some toiletries in the future.
Members of the AIF include Southampton’s local two-day festival, Common People, as well as Winchester’s Boomtown Fair, Cornwall’s Boardmasters and Dorset’s Bestival.
Paul Reed, AIF’s chief executive, insists it’s time to take “collective and affirmative action” to consider festivals’ environmental impact on the UK, and wants attendees to think about “re-use” as oppose to “single use”.
One banning that will likely prove controversial is festival glitter. It has been suggested that the beauty product – which is made up of tiny pieces of shiny plastic – poses a threat to aquatic life, so festival-goers will be encouraged to wear “bio-glitter” instead.
