Over the last few years, Download Festival has introduced the RIFF – REUSE – RECYCLE campaign – to engage with fans to help build on the great strides the festival is making towards a greener and cleaner experience – particularly around campsite waste and resource use.
This year, the initiative expands with a refreshed programme. Keep an eye out for our Green Team of 40 volunteers, offering rewards for sustainable actions, handing out recycling bags and encouraging simple but impactful actions like waste reduction (the festival reduced its waste by 25% last year) and recycling – all designed to make doing the right thing easy and worthwhile.
You’ll find the bulk of the campaign between the Eco Camp marquee, and next to the NGO area in District X. Stop by for some great games and chats, plus the chance to share your thoughts through our sustainability survey and connect with our friends at Greenpeace, Every Can Counts, GuitarWrist and more.
So be sure to drop in, get involved and be part of making Download 2026 more sustainable.
Looking for the easiest and most sustainable way to get to Download Festival?
Big Green Coach returns as our official travel partner, offering carbon-neutral return services directly to the festival’s coach park.
Let Big Green Coach take the hassle out of planning your travel so you can focus on what matters! Secure your seat from one of 81 UK pick-up locations and let Big Green Coach do the rest.
Weekend return coach: Choose to arrive on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. All coaches will return on Monday, hassle-free. You won’t need to worry about being the designated driver or relying on public transport connections.
Day return coach: Choose to travel on Friday, Saturday and/or Sunday. Your carbon-neutral coach will arrive at Download’s official coach park before the music starts and return to your pick-up location after the headline act. You won’t miss a minute of the action!
Three-day travel pass: Don’t want to camp but still want the full festival experience? No problem! Book a convenient three-day travel pass with Big Green Coach and enjoy hassle-free travel to and from your original pickup location each day. You won’t miss a moment of the action.
Travel sustainably with the UK’s largest events travel company from £60.
Download Festival has an impact on the environment because of the transport taken, energy used, waste generated, water use as well as the food and drink consumed. The Show Must Go On Report 2026 shows that the biggest impacts for Festivals are travel, energy and waste.
As set out in our Festival Charter we have a responsibility to preserve the live music experience for generations to come and the opportunity to use our platform to inspire global environmental action.
Our aim is to use 100% renewable energy from either biofuel or mains supply by 2030, and in 2025 we powered Download with a massive 100% Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), up from a 7% share of total fuel in 2019. HVO is made from used cooking oil and is completely fossil fuel free.
We’ve made it easy for you to have the best time at Download Festival while reducing your environmental impact.
£1 from our car parking passes is donated to Trees for Cities, who have this year celebrated planting their two millionth urban tree! Recent local projects coming from Download Festival’s involvement include 22 Standard trees planted in Derby, with 18 people engaged in planting events. 2,150 whips were planted in Nottingham across three sites, engaging 85 people including 12 children. 1,500 whips were planted in Kirkby-in Ashfield.
- These projects all contribute towards increasing canopy cover, increasing biodiversity and contributing towards carbon sequestration, improving air quality for local communities.
- Trees For Cities also hope to increase inequalities around access to green space as studies have shown a correlation between higher levels of deprivation and lower levels of access to quality green space. These factors in turn lead to greater physical and mental wellbeing of local residents.
If you’ve been to Download for the past decade-plus, you’ll have noticed that none of the traders are dealing with any single-use plastic and serve-ware. The same can be said for plastic bottles, with water and other drinks served in cans or paper cups.
- We encourage you to bring empty sports or metal refillable bottles of any size to refill at the water points for free. You can also buy Download branded bottles.
- All paper cups, cans and bottles sold in the arena have a 10p deposit included in the price which you can redeem at the refund points in the arena (minimum return 5 for 50p)
The Eco-Camp provides space for its campers to connect with and respect nature – a community who value spending time in the beautiful fields just as much as listening to their favourite bands. This is a place where everyone wants to keep their camp clean and recycling is second nature, a place to meet like-minded people.
There is no extra cost to stay in The Eco-Camp, it just requires every guest to sign up to the following principles:
- All guests agree to being responsible for their gear and take responsibility for any waste they produce.
- All guests agree to separate their recyclables in the recycling facilities and put any residual waste in the bins provided.
- All guests agree to leave the Eco-Camp exactly as they found it. All camping equipment that is brought in must be taken home again.
- Guests are encouraged to have fun, play, explore, respect fellow campers, and enjoy the wonderful, natural surroundings.
Keep an eye out for an exciting programme of games, prizes, yoga, talks and more!
Circular Camping has been part of Download Festival for over a decade, and in 2026 returns with a significantly expanded campsite, located just inside the main East entrance.
Pre-pitched camping with Circular Camping means you can turn up, drop your bags, crack open a drink and get straight into the festival — no lugging gear from the car, no fighting for space, and no late-night tent-building stress.
Your tent will be ready and waiting when you arrive, set up in a clean, well-managed, and comfortably spaced campsite. When Monday rolls around, you can head home and leave the pack-down to them.
Options range from solo tents through to larger group and family packages, making Circular Camping ideal whether you’re travelling light, coming from further afield, or just want the easiest possible start and finish to your weekend.
Please visit Circular Camping’s website for more information.
Please note: a valid Download 5 or 3 Night General Camping ticket is required in order to use this service.
Every Can Counts will be back in action this year encouraging all Downloaders to recycle their empty cans… Because #MetalNeverDies!
Pay them a visit to exchange your cans for special Download rewards including t-shirts and keyrings! And look out for their team of recycling ambassadors roaming around the festival collecting cans in their iconic recycling backpacks and testing your knowledge on drink can recycling. Get involved with their recycling fun and you could even win a pair of tickets to next year’s festival!
Using tents for the weekend only is a big no. We’ve all seen those videos of sites covered in camping equipment that people have left behind and it is impossible for festivals to collect and reuse every one – in fact, most of them end up being burnt for energy. Invest in a decent tent that will last you the weekend and you can reuse for years to come.
If you have any broken tents, chairs, gazebos and empty batteries, please take them to the Recycling Points in the campsites. Any non-perishable, unopened food or hygiene products can be donated at the Help Hubs after the festival.