When most people think of hearing that satisfying crunch beneath their shoes, crisp fall leaves may come to mind. But for many attendees at this year’s music festivals, crushed aluminum cans and scattered trash may be the more familiar sound.
Large festivals inevitably generate waste as thousands of people gather to celebrate music and community. After attending this year, however, I witnessed firsthand just how visible that environmental impact can become.
I had the opportunity to attend Stagecoach this year, which is no stranger to the ongoing waste dilemma. Large music festivals in the Coachella Valley generate significant amounts of trash each day.
According to 2025 sustainability reports highlighted by Palm Springs Life Magazine, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach festival weekends generate and process hundreds of tons of waste each year, ranging from aluminum cans and plastic bottles to food waste and abandoned camping supplies.
This is to be expected at any large festival. The more people who attend, the more trash is generated. But festivalgoers also need to be more conscientious about where their litter ends up, especially in windy desert conditions that can carry trash far beyond the festival grounds.
I had the opportunity to attend Stagecoach on Friday and Saturday, where I captured photos and video footage of the litter scattered throughout the festival grounds.
As you can clearly see from the video, many attendees appeared to treat properly disposing of waste as an inconvenience rather than a responsibility. In some cases, trash was left untouched for so long that crowds formed circles around it instead of picking it up.
Ironically, circles are usually used to draw attention to something, not ignore it.
This video reflects my earlier analogy of crushed beer cans scattered throughout the festival grounds. Many attendees dispose of their trash with the mindset that someone else will clean it up.
Technically, yes. Some argue that the large amount of waste created during festivals provides employment opportunities for workers assigned to collect trash and maintain the grounds.
However, those jobs would still exist even if attendees properly disposed of their waste. Trash placed in designated bins still must be collected and processed. Workers can also make a difference by walking through the crowds and asking attendees whether they have trash they would like to throw away.
Keep in mind where your litter ends up at a concert. Carrying a full bag or full hands is far better than contributing to an environmental problem.
Before heading to your next festival, consider bringing a reusable water bottle, mug and utensils to reduce reliance on disposable items. Attendees can also help by bringing reusable toiletries, avoiding overpacking and using on-site waste separation systems to ensure recyclable and compostable materials are disposed of properly.
We only have one planet, Earth. It is time to start treating it like our lives depend on it, because they do.
