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As the last revellers left OXEGEN, an army of 500 cleaners
began work clearing the site of litter, equipment, abandoned
tents, empty beer crates and other debris left by the 75,000
fans.
It is expected that 500 tonnes of waste will be collected
- that’s just half of the 1,000 tonnes that would be generated
from household waste for the same number of people over a
similar 5-day period.
The reduction in waste is testament to the success of the
green initiatives undertaken by OXEGEN this year and the enthusiasm
and co-operation of fans who took part in the recycling scheme
‘Bin Your Empties’.
Fans sorted their own rubbish in to recycling bags provided
and brought it back to recycling points around the campsites.
Across the weekend, fans helped recycle over 1000 bags of
waste per day - the best response ever at an Irish festival.
Some of the waste was then transformed into sculptures by
the Bin Your Empties artists.
Geoff Fitzpatrick from Bin Your Empties says - “We’ve been
delighted by the fantastic response of OXEGEN campers. The
Bin Your Empties scheme encourages fans to recycle
their own waste rather than leaving it to others to clear
up after them. We want to get the message across that our
behaviour has a direct impact on our environment and that
we all need to play our part in making Ireland a greener and
cleaner country.”
The Green Tent Company’s fully recyclable
tents were also a big hit with campers. Every single part
of the tent can go in the same bin for recycling as all components
are made from the same material.
In addition, OXEGEN is supporting a number of environmental
initiatives from local schools in the Naas area.
In recognition of OXEGEN’s achievements in 2009, the festival
was a warded a ‘Green and Clean’ award from Yourope
- the European festival association.
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