Radio 1’s Big Weekend is right around the corner – but what about Camperdown Park?
Violet Fraser is based in Dundee though she has picked up litter all over Scotland.
As well as being involved in litter picks at Camperdown park, Violet also volunteers with the food growing group Campy Growers that is based at the park.
Violet is “massively concerned” about the litter that Radio 1’s Big Weekend will bring with it. The noise too, she fears, will disturb the Camperdown park’s wildlife and birdlife.
“I am worried about the impact there could be on the environment and Camperdown as an ecosystem.
“Although it is a city park, it is a place that is a haven for a lot of wildlife, from plants and vertebrates right up to mammals and birds.
“I have concerns about the disturbance that it could cause for these quite fragile and interconnected ecosystems.”
She added: “My concerns are not just about Camperdown Park, but the volume of visitors that we will be getting into the city and how that will impact the overall instances of littering.
“It’s quite hard to find an area in Dundee that isn’t impacted by litter.”
And Big Weekend, Violet says, will just make this worse.
Environmental impact of Radio 1’s Big Weekend
Violet is not only concerned about the wildlife, but also the soil itself.
“One of my concerns would be the volume of people, the foot traffic, and how that can degrade the plant life,” she explained.
“Just the sheer impact of that number of people passing over the same area repeatedly in such a short space of time.
“That might then degrade the plant cover which might eventually lead to soil erosion.
“I am happy to see an event like this in Dundee.
“I’m always going to get behind something that brings lots of people to the city gets people outdoors.
“But for me,” Violet said, “the environment comes first.”
This isn’t the first time the musical festival has come to Campy.
Previously, Radio 1’s Big Weekend came to Camperdown Country Park in 2006.
You can see the amount of rubbish left littered on the grass in this image.
There will be plenty bins at Camperdown to encourage fans to responsibly dispose of their rubbish, but those with close ties to the park fear fans may become litter bugs.
Plastic bottles and other drinks containers could be littered, as alcohol will be served at the event. Mice and other small animals sometimes get trapped inside littered cans and bottles where they sadly die.
Litter at Big Weekend in Dundee
So what litter will find its way into the festival?
It does appear as though organisers are thinking of the environment, to an extent.
Fans visiting the event will be able to take in empty reusable containers of any size – metal or plastic. This seems to be encouraging a more eco-friendly approach.
However, fans can bring food and one soft drink into the event in sealed plastic or paper containers – these are single-use and people may litter them.
You cannot take alcohol into the event, or soft drinks in cans or glasses.
Find out the other banned items at Big Weekend in this article.
100 staff and 1,000 bins at Camperdown Park for Big Weekend
Dundee City Council’s environment services are in charge of cleaning up waste and litter at the festival.
The teams are additional to the council’s usual weekend staff, and extra staff have volunteered to join the effort. This is both inside and outside of the event arena.
A Dundee City Council spokesperson explained: “Approximately 100 members of council staff are being deployed within the park and surrounding areas, as well as Slessor Gardens and Riverside before, during and after the event.
“Waste will be collected from around 1,000 bins on site, which includes recycling bins.”
He added that there will be specific bins for festival-goers to dispose of their vapes.
For those considering pitching their tents up in Camperdown Park or Templeton Woods, this is a no go. “No public camping is permitted at the park as detailed within the Council’s Management Rules for Parks.”
Radio 1 did not comment on the litter picking effort at the event, or locals’ concerns about the rubbish that fans may leave behind.
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