News / Plastic
Festival litters Downs with ‘huge amounts’ of plastic waste
The organisers of a food festival have apologised after hundreds of pieces of plastic waste and metal objects were discarded in the wake of the event.
Feast On saw scores of local food vendors convene on the Downs for tastings, talks and demos accompanied by live music.
Its inaugural event was well received and organisers have already announced it will be taking place for a second time in 2025.
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But its clean-up operation has come under criticism with potential impacts for wildlife.
One resident told Bristol24/7 that Feast On leaving the site in such a state was “disrespectful”.
“There was barely a square metre without any bits of plastic left in it,” said Conal Dougan, who regularly attends a circuits class on the Downs.
“I was only able to scour a quarter of the site footprint, but I picked up hundreds and hundreds of cable ties, screws, metal spikes and more.”
Dougan felt the clean-up should have been much more thorough, and was concerned about the impact of waste on the natural environment.
“This is terrible to do to one of Bristol’s most treasured public spaces.
“I felt I had to pick up as much as possible, as once a lawn mower got to work on them, they would just be chopped down into smaller and smaller plastic pieces, and enter the food chain etc.
“The screws and spikes would also be dangerous to wildlife.”
Organisers said they were ‘surprised’ the site was left in such a state, and that clean-up teams will be sent back on Friday, almost a fortnight after the event, to finish the job.
There were other bits of plastic as well as heavy metal screws and spikes left over after the festival, which took place from July 26 to 28 – photo: Conal Dougan
Feast On founder, James Haggart, said: “I would like to apologise for any litter that was left on the Downs after our festival.
“We take our environmental responsibilities very seriously, and it is truly disheartening to hear that we fell short on this occasion.
“We contracted a cleaning company to manage the clean-up after the event, and it appears they did not meet the standards we expected.
“We are committed to sustainability and always strive to minimise our environmental impact.”
Haggart outline the sustainability measures of the event, including zero waste sent to landfill; use of biodegradable, compostable and recyclable food containers; talks on food sustainability; encouraging attendees to use public transport and sourcing local traders to minimise travel-related carbon footprint.
“Despite these efforts, it is clear that more needs to be done to prevent litter from being left behind,” Haggart added.
“We are also reviewing our post-event clean-up procedures to ensure that such an oversight does not happen again.”
Feast On is Bristol’s newest food festival – photo: Rob Browne
Dougan said he is happy the clear-up will continue but leaving waste behind after Feast On was completely avoidable.
He said: “I totally understand why events use cable ties, I use them all the time myself and they are really useful.
“But putting them in a big bag while you cut them down is very easy.
“I just find it really disrespectful to one of Bristol’s treasured green spaces. It shouldn’t be left to members of the public to find all this rubbish and deal with it!
“It’s just such a shame that (organisers) have to send out a team to deal with it, when it was so easy not to litter in the first place.
“It should be part of their contract with Bristol City Council that they leave the site spotless. If Glastonbury can do it, then a little food festival can as well!”
Main photo: Conal Dougan
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