Deer Shed pushing on with bid to be completely single-use plastic free festival

DEER Shed has long been one of the best family festivals in the UK for the vast array of talent it has on show.
Kids ready for action at Deer Shed Festival (PIC: Courtesy of Deer Shed)Kids ready for action at Deer Shed Festival (PIC: Courtesy of Deer Shed)
Kids ready for action at Deer Shed Festival (PIC: Courtesy of Deer Shed)
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Ezra Furman talks about his album - and headlining Deer Shed

Festivals are generally not renowned for their efforts at saving the planet.

But Deer Shed is looking to change that reputation. Last year, for instance, organisers had great success with a site-wide ban on the sale of single use plastic bottles and straws.

The Waste Aid campaign to get Drastic on Plastic. (Image courtesy of Deer Shed)The Waste Aid campaign to get Drastic on Plastic. (Image courtesy of Deer Shed)
The Waste Aid campaign to get Drastic on Plastic. (Image courtesy of Deer Shed)
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Since then, they have been working hard at building on the policy and, therefore, this year will see the ban widened to encompass single-use plastic hot drink cups, cutlery and serveware when Ezra Furman, Anna Calvi and Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever headline over Friday July 26 to Sunday July 28.

Shortlisted for ‘Best Family Festival’ at the 2018 UK Festival Awards, 10,000 festival-goers - a 50/50 ratio of adults and kids - is set to descend on the site near Topcliffe.

Deer Shed Festival director Oliver Jones said: “We not only hope the festival itself will achieve an even higher level of sustainability in the years to come, but that efforts onsite will also help to change the habits of its attendees in their everyday lives, long after they leave.

“There may yet still be resistance from certain aspects of the events industry.

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“But the hope, of course, is that consumers vote with their feet and back the promoters investing both time and money into sustainable initiatives.”

Green Goblet will again provide reusable cups at the bar but also now introduce reusable hot drink cups, too, with festival-goers gaining a branded DeerShed10 cup for a £2 fee paid on top of their first drink.

Compostable trays and cutlery will be used by food traders with Maltings Organic Treatment ensuring food waste and packaging is properly composted.

Huddersfield-based Allotment Catering will be on-site collecting surplus food for the Eight Plate scheme, stopping it going to waste and instead diverting it to those in need.

Furthermore, Yorwaste will ensure no general waste goes to landfill with their waste to energy plant as Deer Shed continues its bid to be a completely single-use plastic free festival by 2021.