Bestival is the latest organisation to get involved with the movement that will see plastic straws be banned from its events in 2018.
This year at Bestival, Camp Bestival and Common People, straws are going to be completely ditched in a campaign that will then extend to include the ban of all single-use plastics, including drinks bottles and bar cups.
Promoters of the massively popular festival have announced these plans in a bid to become even more environmentally aware, and are now encouraging every other festival in the country to follow suit. The overall aim is to make this custom – in the UK at least – a festival standard.
The news comes after a successful trial period at last year’s Bestival, which saw plastic straws be replaced by biodegradable paper alternatives. As a result, event promoters are launching a campaign aptly named ‘The Final Straw’, and are now spreading the word to other festivals.
Northamptonshire’s Shambala, Kendal Calling and Cheshire’s bluedot have already signed up, yet there is always room for progress. Those involved are hoping that plastic straw usage in festivals will be eradicated by 22 April – Earth Day – and this collective effort will help to drastically reduce the amount of plastic that pollutes seas and end up in landfill.
Bestival promoter Rob da Bank commented: “My wife, and fellow Bestival founder, Josie, made the decision to ban plastic straws at the festival last year along with a load of new green initiatives. Festivals are potentially big consumers of plastics and non-recyclables and all of us in the festival world need to keep working on reducing those elements at our festivals. Hats off to those already doing it and leading from the front… and to the rest of us let’s make it happen!’
For more information visit Bestival.net.
> Hannah Montgomery
The Final Straw: Bestival Campaign Aims to Ban Plastic in Festivals
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