clean up plan announced for Reading and Leeds

After this weekend's Reading & Leeds Festivals there will be a major clean up operation. Despite festival goers being strongly encouraged to pack up their gear and take it home, Festival Republic, organisers of the twin festivals, operate a major camping gear salvage operation.

The camping gear salvage operation is part of Festival Republic's commitment to reducing waste and the amount of good quality equipment condemned to landfill. This year, donated and leftover re-usable gear will make its way to charitable and community organisations through Dispersal Days.

In Reading, the 79TH Scouts, a leading Scouting group and charity based in Reading, and Bright Green, a community recycling project, will help clear the festival site, reclaiming usable equipment which is in a good condition and redistribute it to local community groups at a very low cost. Groups who are interested are asked to register for the Reading Dispersal Day by emailing salvage@festivalrepublic.com.

In Leeds, Everything's Possible, a not for profit organisation based in Leeds, and Re-Work Office Furniture will be taking on the task. On Friday 4th (10:00-17:00), Saturday 5th (10:00-17:00) and Sunday 6th September (10:00-12:00), community groups will be encouraged to come to a Dispersal Day at Re-Work Office Furniture in Leeds to collect as much equipment as they need for a nominal fee.

This weekend's festival goers are also encouraged to donate unwanted, non-perishable leftover food in packets, bottles, tins or cartons at the Recycle Exchanges and dedicated donation points around the festival sites as part of this year's Food Drive.

In Reading, all the food donated will be collected by The Salvation Army and made into food parcels which will be distributed locally. As Reading Festival regulars, The Salvation Army have been part of every Reading Festival (except one) since the festival moved to Reading in 1971.

In Leeds, St George's Crypt will receive donated food. Chris Fields, Chief Executive of St George's Crypt, said, "As one of Leeds' leading and best known charities, we are delighted to be associated with this year's Leeds Festival. The food which is donated from this event will be of immense value to us as we feed some of the most marginalised people from Leeds every day of the year."

The sold out festivals have headliners of Kings Of Leon (Reading Friday/Leeds Sunday), Arctic Monkeys (Reading Saturday/Leeds Friday), and Radiohead (Reading Sunday/Leeds Saturday), with other acts including Kaiser Chiefs, Placebo, The Prodigy, Maximo Park, Ian Brown, Bloc Party, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vampire Weekend, Gossip, Glasvegas, and many more.

For the Reading line-up details click here.
For the Leeds line-up details click here.

The festival will feature a full line-up of over 150 acts over the bank holiday weekend accros six stages from Friday 28th to Sunday 30th August.

Reading Festival takes place at Little Johns Farm, Richfield Avenue, Reading, Berkshire, and Leeds Festival takes place at Bramham Park, Leeds, West Yorkshire.

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