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23 Sept 2025
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23 Sept 2025
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PATH homelessness charity volunteers gathering items at a campsite at Electric Picnic after the 2024 festival.
Laois County Council is to request more time at Electric Picnic for volunteers to salvage tents and sleeping bags.
Independent Cllr Tommy Mulligan from the Portlaoise Municipal District has called on the festival's Managing Director Melvin Benn to give more access after the Stradbally event, to groups who are willing to pick through discarded camping equipment.
"They have access on Monday, but it's restricted to a certain campsite area, in a certain amount of time. They say they are getting less and less time.
"It's going to landfill, it is an incredible waste of equipment when you have groups willing to salvage it," Cllr Mulligan said.
"I am asking for more access, and more opportunities to go to more areas and sufficient time," he said.
He got support for his motion, tabled to the July meeting of Laois County Council.
Labour Cllr Marie Tuohy seconded it.
"It would be a win all round. It is such wilful waste. It could be recycled and reduced. PATH organise cleaning, storage and distribution so they are put to good use for people in bad situations," she said.
Fine Gael Cllr John King supports the request. MORE BELOW PHOTO. -1754038808308.JPG)
Electric Picnic Campers in 2023. Pic: Alf Harvey
"Apart from clubs and charity organisations, boy scouts and girl guides struggle to get funding. Every tent that could be saved is worthwhile," he said.
Laois County Council will now write to the festival organisers.
Portlaoise Action To Homelessness(PATH) volunteers collect the discarded tents and sleeping bags on the Monday after the festival every year.
Last year they gathered about 300 sleeping bags, which they had to have washed and dried and then gave out to homeless people sleeping rough on Dublin's streets.
Read also: Electric Picnic announce star studded comedy lineup
Last year one Electric Picnic campsite was still littered with items, two weeks after the festival ended, with sheep grazing amongst it in the Cosby estate in Stradbally. Highlighted by the Leinster Express and national media, it was later cleaned up.
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