With less than a fortnight to go before Indiependence 2019 kicks off, organisers have announced new measures to improve the environmental impact of the festival on the natural environment.

New measures include introducing a Heineken Cup return-back-scheme that will see patrons collect €2 for every ten cups, which are then recycled and turned in to garden furniture. 

It has also been announced that all bottled water sold on site will be in biodegradable bottles, while all food vendors at INDIE19 are using biodegradable and compostable utensils only. Organisers are asking patrons to use the recycling bins provided, return beer cups and most importantly to take your tent home on Monday in a joint effort to single-use as much as possible. 

These improved environmental considerations follow the trend set by festivals such as KnockanStockan, Electric Picnic and Glastonbury, who have all launched various initiatives and programmes aimed at asking patrons to be considerate of their plastic use. Initiatives have also been introduced which ask visitors to take all personal belongings, including tents and sleeping bags, with them at the end of the weekend in order to prevent unnecessary dumping. 

This year, Glastonbury festival announced that this year’s festivities had resulted in a huge reduction in patron waste. Members of the clean-up team noted that they had seen “a massive reduction in the amount of plastic on the site this year – the least ever seen, by a distance”.

This summer marks the 10th year of Indiependence in Michelstown’s Deer Park. and it looks set to be a sell-out, with over 15,000 people expected to arrive over the weekend. Artists performing at this years festival include Bastille, Catfish and The Bottlemen, Biffy Clyro, Lewis Capaldi, Gavin James and many more. 

For updates, check out www.indiependencefestival.com, @Indie_pendence (Twitter), @indiependence_festival (Instagram)