Entertainment

Clear-up operation begins as Glastonbury 2019 ends

More than 200,000 people have made Worthy Farm their home for the past five days.
More than 200,000 people have made Worthy Farm their home for the past five days. More than 200,000 people have made Worthy Farm their home for the past five days.

Glastonbury Festival has been home to a population of 200,000 over the past five days but the clean-up operation is now under way.

Highlights of the musical extravaganza in Pilton, Somerset, have included headliners Stormzy, The Killers and The Cure as well as performances from Kylie Minogue and Lewis Capaldi.

The festival may have a reputation for mud and rain but this year’s event was instead hot and sunny, with temperatures reaching more than 28C.

Climate change and the environment was the theme of the festival, which banned single-use plastic bottles and provided water in cans or at refill sites.

Glastonbury Festival 2019 – Day 1
Glastonbury Festival 2019 – Day 1 Revellers used water points instead of plastic bottles (Aaron Chown/PA)

Organisers previously urged those attending to bring sturdy tents and return home with them, instead of dumping them at the end of the event.

In an interview with the Glastonbury Free Press on Sunday, Emily Eavis said: “I really hope they will.

“We’ve made so many positive strides with our green campaigns this year.

“It’s incredible to think that there will be one million fewer plastic bottles for the planet to deal with because we’ve stopped selling them.

Rubbish left behind at Glastonbury
Rubbish left behind at Glastonbury Rubbish left behind at Glastonbury (Aaron Chown/PA)

“The most eye opening part of the weekend for me was not seeing any plastic bottles in the bins or on the ground.

“I think people are really starting to understand how important it is to treat the land with respect, and to stop living a disposable lifestyle.”

There were more than one million plastic drinks bottles sold at the festival in 2017, and zero sold in 2019.

In total, 45 tonnes of aluminium cans were processed on site, while 4,500 litres of cooking oil was turned into biofuel.

More than 1,300 recycling volunteers are at Glastonbury Festival each year, while more than 10,000 trees have been planted locally since 2000.

This year, there were 850 water points on the 900-acre site, with 37 WaterAid refill kiosks.

Clean-up begins in front of the Pyramid Stage
Clean-up begins in front of the Pyramid Stage Clean-up begins in front of the Pyramid Stage (Aaron Chown/PA)

Around 40% of festival-goers get to Glastonbury by public transport.

The mission to convert the event’s site back into a functioning dairy farm could take up to six weeks.

Next year, Glastonbury Festival will celebrate its 50th anniversary.

“We won’t be slowing down for very long,” Emily Eavis said.

“We have already started working on next year’s 50th anniversary.

“Trust me when I say we are planning a huge celebration.”