Hackney Council have announced that 64 per cent of all waste at the Radio 1 festival in June was recycled, surpassing earlier targets of 40 per cent.

The free music event, the largest of its kind in the UK, was attended by more than 100,000 people, with festival-goers and celebrities alike being encouraged to do their bit by recycling their food waste, plastic bottles, aluminium cans and paper cups. in the 1,000 recycling bins provided across the site.

Taking place on the weekend of 23-24 June, the festival was organised by BBC Radio 1, with well-known acts including Jay-Z, Rhianna, Jack White and Ed Sheeran performing across six different stages. More than 100 staff worked day and night to keep the site tidy, helping to reduce the environmental impact on the surrounding Hackney Marshes.

In total, 34 tonnes of recyclable material were collected, ready to be sorted. Councillor Feryal Demirci, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, praised the achievement of everyone involved: “It’s great that everybody was so willing to take part and help to keep Hackney clean and green during the weekend. We set out with a target of recycling 40% of the waste on site and thanks to everybody who came along, we managed to smash that goal."

Waste which could not be recycled was taken to Edmonton energy from waste plant to generate electricity for London.