In recent years, reusable vessels have become a habitual image at music festivals throughout Europe. However, what many attendees do not know is that Taking these glasses home as a memory goes against the sustainable purpose for which they were designed.
The logic behind the reusable vessel is clear: replace the huge number of single -use vessels that end up in landfills after each festival night. The system works returning the glass at the end of the event in exchange for a small amount. This allows cleaning and reuse in future editions.
“The problem is that when people collect them, the cycle breaks“, warns Quentin Sibéril, responsible for sustainability of the Vieilles Charrues Festival in France, one of the first to implement this large -scale model. With an assistance of 70,000 people per night, the event generates annually More than one million glasses.
Since 2014, the organizers decided Do not renew the design of the vessels every year to avoid the ‘collecting’ effect. As they explain, to launch a new model in each edition would multiply the temptation to keep it and force to manufacture many more.
“You have to wonder if we are festivals or plastic factories“Sibéril points out.
In Spain, more and more festivals are imitating this formula, but Accidental collecting remains frequent. Many attendees do not understand that, not returning the glass, they are forcing the organizers to commission new lots, with the consequent expense in material, transport and energy.
In addition, according to data from European events, Between 15% and 25% of the vessels do not recover after each festival. This involves thousands of reusable plastic units that end up stored in houses, without effective use and whose production is repeated the following year. It should be remembered that while these glasses are made of more durable materials, They are not biodegradable.