Millions of festivalgoers have descended on fields across the country this summer for the UK festival season, but many have the wrong idea about what happens to tents left behind09:54, 02 Sep 2026If you left your tent behind after a festival this summer, you might have made a huge mistake. The UK welcomes millions of festivalgoers around the country during the summer months, as people attend the likes of Glastonbury, Download, Reading and Leeds, and more.‌And the aftermath of each of these festivals looks the same - a sea of rubbish left behind by those who haven't cleaned up after themselves. It's not just plastic bottles and empty bags that get left behind, either, as many people also choose to leave their entire tent at the festival site.‌While some do this out of laziness, others do it because they believe the tent will be picked up by volunteers and donated to a worthy cause, but it turns out this might not be the case. It comes after one woman showed the horrifying aftermath of Reading Festival last weekend.‌A woman on social media recently shared a video in which she said the idea that tents left behind at festivals are donated to the homeless or given to refugees is a huge misconception, and chances are, all you do when you don't take your tent home is contribute to landfill.The woman, who recently attended Reading and Leeds Festivals over the bank holiday weekend, replied to a comment she'd received on another one of her videos, where a person stated that they leave their tent behind because they've finished using it and "someone else could find a better use for it".She said: "Bad news, your tent is going into landfill. I don't know what your mates told you. I don't know who tried to justify leaving their tent and made you believe it was okay to leave your tent."‌Content cannot be displayed without consentThe woman added that she didn't want to "shame" anyone for leaving their tent, but wanted to educate people, especially first-time festivalgoers, to ensure that next time, they think twice about leaving their rubbish behind.She added: "The amount of tents that get left at festivals ... there is no charity, there is no amount of volunteers, and not many of them are in good enough condition to keep anyway."‌She explained that volunteer clean-up crews at festivals don't know what has happened in each tent, so they would need to thoroughly sanitise every single one before it could be used again, which is unlikely to happen. Instead, it is much better for you to take home your tent, clean it yourself, and then find a charity or donation centre to take it to."You can pack it up, you can carry it, and you can do whatever it is you need to do," the woman shared.Commenters on the woman's post thanked her for making the video, as they said seeing clips and photos of the rubbish left behind after festivals this summer has upset them.‌One person said: "Absolutely. If you pack it down and take it to a donation point with all the parts, it MIGHT get reused. If you walk away and leave it as-is, then 99% of the time it's getting bulldozed and dumped in a landfill. They don't have the volunteers or time to pack down your tent for re-use."Another added: "There's literally donation centres where you can hand them in, NO NEED TO JUST LEAVE IT BEHIND!"A third wrote: "No, I am shaming people who leave their tent behind. They should feel ashamed."Article continues belowTips for keeping your tent clean at a festivalThe woman also shared her advice for festivalgoers in her video, sharing some helpful tips for how to make sure your tent stays mud-free throughout the event so it has the best chance of being in good enough condition to use again or donate.Don't drink too much on your final night. While it might seem like the best time to get drunk as it's your last night at the festival, you don't want to be hungover - or still drunk - the next morning when it's time to pack up.Bring spare shoes for your tent. The woman said she always brings a pair of sliders that she only wears inside her tent so that she never brings her muddy shoes in with her.Bring a towel. If your tent does get muddy or gets water in it from the rain, use a towel to wipe it up. This towel can then be easily washed at home while your tent stays nice and clean.She admitted that there are some people who will jump on tents or slash them, and this, unfortunately, cannot be avoided. In this instance, it's best to still take your tent home and dispose of it yourself, but you probably won't be able to re-use it.