Beyond the music: What happens to abandoned camp gear at festivals?

Across Australian festivals, campsite waste is a massive issue.

According to Green Music Australia, around 80 percent of waste at music festivals comes from the audience campsite, and roughly two kilograms of waste per person per day is created during events. 

And for anyone thinking a single tent doesn’t matter: a single one-person tent contains as much plastic as 8,750 plastic straws.

A 2019 Green Music Australia survey found five main reasons why festival-goers abandon campsite gear: it’s damaged, others are already doing it, cleaning up isn’t their problem, they want to leave quickly and the gear isn’t worth much. 

So who is actually trying to fix this?

One group is B-Alternative, an Australian social enterprise that works with festivals to reduce waste through reuse systems, camp-care programs and Good Intentions Camping - a program that rescues abandoned camping gear, refurbishes it, and rents it out at future festivals.

Joshua Davies is the festivals and events manager at B-Alternative. He told the Brolga the biggest issue is cheap gear that’s bought for one weekend and dumped.

Watch the video below for the full story.