Petition calls on Electric Picnic to address tent pollution

A petition calling on the organisers of Electric Picnic to address the level of plastic pollution at the annual festival has reached almost 500 signatures. 

It comes after drone footage showing what appears to be the Electric Picnic campsite covered in abandoned tents and other single-use plastics circulated online this week. 

The petition is calling on organisers to "put procedures in place to ensure that the current level of plastic pollution created by abandoned tents at the EP campsites is not permitted to continue". 

The campaign, called 'End Electric Picnic Campsite Carnage', has identified a number of recommendations, including the introduction of: 

1. A refundable deposit per tent and camp chairs scheme in ALL campsites at the Electric Picnic festival 

2. Official campsite patrols to assist and advise festival goers setting and packing up 

The petition has currently amassed, at time of writing, 491 signatures out of a goal of 500. 

Electric Picnic is Ireland's largest gathering of music and arts and has established itself as a unique festival on the world stage. 

However, despite positive changes such as a disposal vape ban (introduced for the first time this year), rubbish left behind by attendees becomes a hot topic every year. 

According to The Irish Times, the owner of the Electric Picnic festival recorded pretax profits of €29.89 million in 2021. 

The petition organiser, Annie Holland, hopes the steady profits recorded in the wake of cancellations during the Covid-19 pandemic will be used to "effectively deal with this plastic waste problem".