Just a few days ago it was home to more than 175,000 people, but it was not long after The Who closed the 45th Glastonbury festival that the clean-up operation began. As the revellers made their way off the 900 acre site, a team of 800 litter pickers began the back-breaking task of picking up all of the debris that had been scattered across Worthy Farm. To get an idea of just how big the site is, it is easier to imagine cleaning up after a party in your own back garden. The average 174 square ft. garden would fit into the Glastonbury site 22,317 times – a clean-up operation like no other. Alongside an assortment of stray wellies, it is estimated that the litter pickers will collect:
- 5,000 abandoned tents
- 11 tonnes of clothes
- 6,500 sleeping bags
- 3,500 airbeds
- 2,200 chairs
- 950 rolled mats
- 400 gazebos
Recycling Waste from Glastonbury Of course, we live in an age where recycling waste is a key consideration. Organisers have employed a team of volunteers to sift through the rubbish collected and expect to find:
- 9 tonnes of glass
- 54 tonnes of cans and plastic bottles
- 41 tonnes of cardboard
- 66 tonnes of scrap metal
- 200 tonnes of composted organic waste
It is estimated that organisers of the festival will spend six weeks and more than three million pounds collecting rubbish from across the site. This includes using tractors carrying magnetic strips to pick up stray tent pegs – this is particularly important as several cows have died in recent years after eating them. Only once a fingertip search of every inch of the land is completed will the site be restored to a working fairy farm. 