REDUCING the impact on the environment will be a key theme of this year’s Reading Festival.

More than 105,000 festival goers will descend on St John’s Farm this year for what will be the biggest ever festival event in Reading.

READ MORE: Mild weather expected throughout Reading Festival weekend.

The Council is joining forces with Festival Republic to urge festival goers to take action to care for their environment.

Reading Borough Council declared a climate change emergency earlier this year, committing to a carbon neutral town by 2030, and also pledged to do all it could to become plastic free.

READ MORE: Reading Festival: What happens to the thousands of abandoned tents?

Together with Festival Republic it is urging festival goers to:

  • Say no to ‘single use’ plastics and take your tent home with you. Don’t forget the majority of abandoned tents end up in landfill.
  • Think about how you get here and get home – car share, catch a coach, catch a train and use the station shuttle bus provided
  • Bring your own water bottle and refill it as much as you like at the taps provided
  • Make use of the 10p refundable deposit for all bottles and cups, redeemable at refund points in the arena
  • Take some time to put the right waste in the right bin by making use of the ‘three bin’ system in operation

Melvin Benn, MD of Festival Republic, said: “We have put in place a number of initiatives to help Reading Festival goers take proactive decisions about their carbon footprint and deal with their stuff responsibly.

"As a company we have committed to eliminating single use plastic by 2021 and reducing our carbon emissions by 50% by 2030.

"We do everything that we can, but we need your help too.

"Have fun, enjoy your weekend, keep each other safe, and take your tent home!”

As part of this year’s push to make the event the greenest ever, Festival Republic is challenging revellers to join the Zero Waste Festival Goer Movement.

Fans will voice their pledge on Zero Waste TV for the chance to appear on the main stage TV screens.

Pledges can be anything from taking their tent home to using a reusable water bottle.

After the festival, fans can show how they have fulfilled their pledge for a chance to win 2020 Reading / Leeds tickets. Crews will be filming across campsites on Thursday (August 22).

Single use plastic cutlery has been banned at the festival since 2009; all water bottles sold are made from 50% recycled plastic; all trader soft drinks will be served from cans and decanted into paper cups in the arena; and all bottled alcoholic drinks will be decanted into cups to increase recycling rates further, which already stand at 67% at the Reading Festival.

Environmental group, Extinction Rebellion Reading (XRR), will also be on site encouraging people to take care of the environment.

Tony Page, Lead Member for Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport, said: “The Council’s commitment to a climate emergency and a carbon neutral Reading by 2030 means we are delighted to support Festival Republic on a range of environmentally friendly initiatives in place at this year’s festival.

"A big part of that is of course how people choose to travel to and from the campsites.

"We would urge festival goers to car share wherever it is possible or even better arrange for coach or rail travel into Reading, where they can then make use of the regular shuttle bus which operates to and from the campsites from the station.

“Local residents will know very well how busy the town is before, during and after the festival weekend and we would again advise them to plan ahead and use public transport wherever possible, as it is often the quickest way to get around.”

More information on the environmental initiatives running at this year’s Reading Festival can be found

here

.