At Roskilde Festival, waste is not garbage – it is a value that must be kept in circulation. When around 130,000 people gather in a temporary city, large amounts of waste are generated in a short time. We work responsibly with waste and resources – and need the participants to be part of the joint effort. The goal is to reduce the amount and ensure that as much as possible is recycled or reused.
How does waste sorting work?
The festival's waste system is based on three simple principles: sorting bags, sorting points and sorting places.
Together, they make it easy to do the right thing.
Sorting bags – when you sort in your camp
In the camps, waste is sorted into three color-coded bags with pictograms that you know from home:
- Metal: e.g. cans without a deposit, tins, foil trays, silver foil
- Plastic and food and drink cartons: e.g. food packaging, juice and milk cartons, plastic bottles without a deposit, plastic bags
- Residual waste: e.g. napkins, cigarette butts, hygiene waste, pizza trays and other things that cannot be recycled
At the beginning of the festival, you receive a set of three sorting bags. New bags can be picked up at the camping towers, from the camping hosts, and at the Recycling Stations.
Here you can also pick up bags for glass even though glass is prohibited in the camping area.
- Glass: e.g. bottles without deposit, empty pesto and jam jars, broken glass
Sorting Stations – when your bag is full
When a sorting bag is full, it is tied with a knot and handed over to one of the many sorting points in the camping area. There are waste containers for all four fractions.
The sorting points are located along paths and roads, so they are easy to find and use
Recycling Stations – when your bag is full, or the waste doesn’t fit in a bag
At the Recycling Stations, you’ll find larger containers and bins where you can drop off full bags and other types of waste that don’t fit in the sorting bags:
- Glass - e.g. filled bags of non-returnable bottles and broken glass
- Small metal - e.g. filled bags of small metal, cans, tins, foil trays, tinfoil
- Large metal - tables and chairs - broken camping chairs, broken camping tables, shopping carts, tow trucks
- Plastic and food and drink cartons - e.g. filled bags of plastic packaging, plastic bottles, juice and milk cartons, plastic bags
- Residual waste - e.g. broken tents, cigarette butts, napkins, pizza trays, hygiene waste, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, pavilions
- PVC - Air mattresses, tarpaulins, rubber hoses, rubber boots
- Cardboard - e.g. cardboard boxes, packaging cardboard, corrugated cardboard
- Hazardous waste - e.g. spray cans, batteries, medicine, oil
- Electronics - cables, power banks, chargers, vapes
- ReUseful - Usable camping equipment – tents, chairs, mattresses and sleeping bags that are in good enough condition to be reused
During the last two days of the festival, you can donate reusable camping equipment and other recyclable items to the ReUseful team in green vests at the sorting areas.
Every year, a large number of usable tents, air mattresses, sleeping bags, camping chairs and sleeping mats are collected. These items are sent to various associations and NGOs, which ensure that the usable items are passed on to vulnerable people.
Items that cannot be reused are sorted and sent for recycling as much as possible. The remaining items that have not been sorted are torn up and sent for shredding and incineration. Air mattresses with PVC are sent to landfill. The festival has an ambition to reduce this amount every year, and this can only be done with your help.
Are there other ways the festival collects waste?
In addition to sorting in the camping area, there are containers for residual waste at all toilet areas, entrances and parking areas. In addition, volunteers patrol the camping area and collect abandoned equipment and glass bottles - both to increase recycling and remove potential hazards such as broken glass (even though it is no longer allowed to bring glass).
Who can help?
Volunteers in green vests help with everything from sorting to bags and questions. They are found both in the camping areas and at the sorting sites. Some collect waste, others hand out bags or guide you on.
The sorting sites are open 24 hours a day and will be staffed during busy daytime hours. On Saturday, July 4 and Sunday, July 5, there will be volunteers who will receive usable camping equipment for donation and recycling. On Sunday, July 5, the sites will also be staffed until noon, when all guests must have left the site.
How should I leave my camp?
When the festival ends, the site where you camped must be left as it was when you arrived. This means that everything must be sorted and handed over to a sorting site or sorting point. You must not leave used camping equipment or waste in the camping area.
Take your things home with you. Dispose of waste and broken equipment correctly at the sorting sites. If you have camping equipment in good condition that you no longer need but that others can benefit from, you can donate it to ReUseful at the sorting sites.
What if I sort incorrectly?
Mistakes can happen. Minor missorting can often be handled in processing, but if a bag is heavily mixed together, the entire contents will be sent for incineration. Therefore, it is important to sort as cleanly as possible and correct mistakes if you discover them.
How do I tell bags, bins, and containers apart?
The bags are color-coded and marked with pictograms that follow the national sorting icons. This makes them easy to recognize – even in a busy camp. All bins and containers are also clearly marked with signs or stickers showing which fraction they belong to.
Can I sort waste on the Inner Festival Area?
There are 46 sorting points on the inner part of the festival site, equipped with waste containers for the same four fractions as in the camps: glass, metal, plastic, as well as food and drink cartons and residual waste. So sorting is possible – even when the music is playing.
Waste Sorting at Roskilde Festival – The Ultra Short Version
Why: When we sort waste, it becomes a resource. We’re about 130,000 people gathered – and together, we can make a big difference.
How: Use sorting bags, Sorting Stations, and Recycling Stations
- Sort waste into four bags in your camp (glass, metal, plastic and food & drink cartons, residual waste)
- Drop full bags off at the nearest Sorting Station
- Bring waste or larger items that don’t fit in the bags (e.g. broken camping gear, hazardous waste, cardboard) to Recycling Stations
- Donate reusable items to ReUseful
Need more bags? Get new sorting bags at camping towers, hosts, and Recycling Stations.
Other areas: Residual waste bins are at toilets, entrances, and parking areas. Volunteers also collect abandoned gear and glass during the week.
Volunteer help: Look for green vests – they assist with bags, sorting, and questions. Recycling Stations are open 24-7.
Leaving the festival: Clean up, take your belongings with you, and sort what you leave behind properly.
Inner Festival Area: 46 Sorting Stations make sorting possible.
Remember: A cleaned-up camp is the last thing you give this year’s festival – and the first gift to next year’s community.