Over 60 festivals in the UK, including Drumlanrig Castle’s Electric Fields, recently signed a pledge to ban single use plastics by 2021, but Eden have gone one step further as they plan to eliminate single use plastics in time for next year’s celebrations.
Since its creation in 2009, the Raehills based festival has banned plastic disposables such as forks and straws on trade stands, as well as providing eco biodegradable non plastic cups.
And in recent years they have opted for one recycled re-usable cup per punter.
But festival director Adam Curtis said: “This year we are looking to take this a step further by banning all single use plastics by the end of this year. The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) headed up by Rob Da Bank are working with festivals across the whole circuit to ban single use plastics by 2021.
“The impact of this has meant that festivals who may not have focussed on eco alternatives in the past, are all taking up the baton which sets more of a unilateral precedence.”
Single-use plastics, or disposable plastics, are used only once before they are thrown away or recycled. These items are things like plastic bags, straws, coffee stirrers, drink bottles, most food packaging and festival staples and plastic glitter.
Adam and his team say they would have love to implement the ban this year but wanted to give traders a year’s notice before implementing the new rule.
He said: “People will be asking, what does this ban mean? Thankfully it does not mean a ban on glitter – environmentally friendly alternatives are already available and you can find a link to this on Eden Festival’s Facebook page.
“Many single use plastics have already been eliminated at Eden Festival and we will issue information to ticket purchasers on what single use plastics are and the alternatives to them.
“This ban will effect everyone attending – from traders to bands and festival goers, to Micky Ball who provides the portaloos.
“To help, aside from opting for eco glitter you can also bring your own non plastic water container and take advantage of the many water pipes around site rather than purchasing water in plastic bottles.”
See this week’s Courier, Herald, Observer and Moffat News for your chance to win four tickets to Eden Festival.
