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Staying Green

Read about our environmental sustainability initiatives and how you can help

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Eco Campsite

The Leeds Eco Campsite is back again!

Thanks to the amazing people who stayed last year, making it a huge success!

There is no extra cost to stay in the Eco Camp, but it comes with plenty of perks, as thanks for doing your part to keep it clean, recycle, and take home all your belongings. Your campsite is secure and exclusive to the campers choosing to stay here, it has clean and fresh compost loos, and hosts free group activities like yoga.

The Eco Campsite is for like-minded people who want to make a difference: You live life with the planet in mind, and want to stay in a clean, green field for a festival you’ll remember.

We must tell the truth about the climate emergency: Climate change is happening now, our past actions are the cause, and our future actions can help to alter the outcome.

To stay in the Eco Camp every guest has to sign up to the following principles:

1. All guests agree to respect their fellow campers: Be inclusive and curious, talk about what is important to you, and enjoy the festival together.

2. All guests agree to respect the environment by protecting biodiversity and avoiding littering: Separate your recyclable materials, use the toilets provided, and don’t cause excess waste.

3. All guests agree to leave the campsite exactly as they found it: Everyone here has joined the call, take your tent home, and show the way forward.

Create Your Future. Stay in the Leeds Eco Campsite in 2024.

In order to access the Leeds Eco Campsite, persons must also hold a valid weekend ticket to Leeds Festival 2024, as such it is understood that you must adhere to the festival terms and conditions. This registration form entitles you to book space in Eco Campsite only and you will be given an additional Leeds Eco Campsite wristband to access the area.

Volunteer on the Green Team

Help us save the planet, one festival at a time – We’re looking for volunteers who are full of energy, passionate about the environment and enjoy engaging with people about green issues.

If you would like to register your interest to volunteer, please email gmessengers@festivalrepublic.com and we will let you know when applications for 2024 open.

Environmental Impact

Music Festivals have an impact on the environment because of the transport taken, energy they use, waste generated, water use as well as the food and drink consumed.

The Show Must Go On Report 2020 shows that the biggest impacts are travel, energy and waste.

As set out in our Sustainability Charter we have a responsibility to preserve the live music experience for generations to come and the opportunity to use our platform to inspire global environmental action.

We have signed up to the Vision 2025 pledge and are working towards a 50% reduction in event related greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 (from 2014 levels). We worked very closely with Julie’s Bicycle while they ran the environmental impact report.

In their last reporting season, 2019, we were very pleased to be have been awarded 5 out of 5 stars. We are also proud to be one of the Vision: 2025 Festival’s committed to reducing our carbon emissions. You can read more about the Vision: 2025 pledge here.

Festival Charter

Please see our Festival Charter here which details our commitments to Environmental Sustainability and a number of other areas

Low Carbon Travel

Travelling to the festival makes up at least 80% of a festivals carbon footprint (source: The Show Must Go On Report, 2020). You could travel by lower carbon forms of travel such as coach, train with direct shuttle buses to the festival or carshare to help reduce this. See our travel page for all options here

 

Energy

We have committed to reducing our carbon emissions by 50% by 2030. Most of our on-site emissions come from how we power the festival.

We use a percentage of HVO (Hydrotreated vegetable oil) in line with our emission reduction targets which emits up to 90% less Greenhouse Gas emissions and are exploring other forms of power such as grid connection and batteries.

 

Single Use Plastic

We have put the following in place to reduce single use plastic at Leeds Festival:

– All our cups are paper, and we have had a deposit return scheme in place since 2007,

– We have Pepsi Max bars that avoid plastic bottles completely, serving your drink straight into a paper cup and offering refills,

– All our soft drinks are made from at least 50% recycled plastic

– All our water is served in cans

– Plastic cutlery and straws have been banned since 2009, and only compostable food containers are allowed

– Bulk condiment bottles must be used by our food vendors instead of single-use sachets

Water Refills: Bring a bottle

Please refill your water bottles at the taps provided. Please bring a refillable bottle with you to refill. View a list of everything you can and can’t bring here.

Cup and bottle deposits

IN THE ARENA

All paper cups, cans and bottles sold in the arena have a 10p deposit included in the price which you can redeem at the refund points in the arena (minimum return 5 for 50p)

 

Recycling

We run a three-bin system at the festival, which means bin stations in the campsite and village will be formed by 3 bins:

FOOD AND COMPOSTABLE PACKAGING

When you buy food from the traders, everything your food comes in is compostable so plates, cutlery and napkins can be placed in the compost bins along with the food scraps. Please make sure NO PLASTIC goes into the compost.

BOTTLES BEER CUPS AND CANS

Plastic bottles, aluminium cans, newspapers, magazines and clean and dry cardboard (no used greasy pizza boxes as these do not recycle).

EVERYTHING ELSE

There should be minimal left over that goes into this bin.

Recycling Rewards

Head over to the campsite Recycling Points to collect green recycling bags. We work with Everything is Possible who volunteer at the festival to spread the green message. Everything Is Possible are giving out prizes for tidy camps – look out for them and take your full bags to the recycling points.

Tents & Camping Equipment

Did you know that the amount of plastic in a single tent is the equivalent of 8,750 plastic straws, or 250 pint cups? Say no to single use, take your tent home!

Buy a durable tent that you can use again each year, it will save you money in the long run. See our ultimate guide to buying a tent here [https://www.leedsfestival.com/news/tent-guide]

Camping Plus and Pink Moon offer pre-pitched tent options, or if you’re bringing your own tent we ask you to take it home, along with any other camping equipment.

Only bring what you can take home with you. When packing ready for the festival weekend, remember to pack wisely and only bring essential items.

The reality is that the majority of abandoned tents and camping equipment ends up going to energy from waste because it is impossible to recycle or reuse. If you have any broken tents, chairs, gazebos, used batteries, or unopened tins of food after the festival, please take them to the Recycling Points.

Salvage

Our message is to take your tents home.

The reality is the majority of abandoned tents and camping equipment ends up going to energy from waste because it is impossible to recycle or reuse. If you have any broken tents, chairs, gazebos or used batteries, please take them to the Recycling Points.

We put together a salvage operation after the festival for organisations to collect some of the perfectly reusable camping equipment that is left behind therefore reducing the amount of waste that goes to energy from waste. This is an opportunity for charities and community groups to come to the festival site on the Monday after the show and help save what they can. Please email salvagers@festivalrepublic.com to register your interest.