The Teams

Team choice

Everyone on the Recycling Crew works together to keep the festival clean and pull out as much material as possible to recycle.

But to make it work well we organise everyone into teams. Where possible we’ll keep you with your friends (so make sure you tell us who they are).

If you’ve done it before you might want to join a particular team, you can ask for that – but don’t rely on having the same team leader as they change around from year to year…

EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ through the team descriptions, and then make an informed choice to what suits you. Most people get their first choice, but some get their second or third. All the work is physical and can be draining - especially if it’s particularly hot or wet. The only role that doesn’t involve a huge amount of walking is in the Recycling Centre. 

All teams have a team leader who you’ll meet when you have your training or at the start of your shift, depending on what you’re doing, they’ll stay with you all weekend and will help you when you need it. Please note that the start time is when you start physically working - it is not when you start walking to work. So if it says 6am start that’s when you meet your team leader to start work. 

Team Descriptions

Red Teams (Markets, Greenfields)
Shift Times:
10:00 - 16:00 Wednesday before Festival
6:00 - 12:00 Fri, Sat, Sunday
These teams do one shift as the festival starts, on Wednesday and then Fri, Sat and Sunday. On Wednesday these teams will be walking the length and breadth of the site. They will need to be flexible and respond to where the rubbish is, there will be no set pattern and the possibility of covering the same ground a few times. From Friday these teams join the main morning pick in the areas indicated, so two teams in the Market areas and one doing the Greenfields and Stone Circle. Picking in the Stone Circle can be overwhelming sometimes as the public are often still up, so if that’s not your bag, don’t go for this one.

Orange Teams (North Pyramid, East Pyramid, West Other Stage, South Greenfields)
Shift Times:
6:00 - 12:00 Thurs, Sat, Sun, Mon
This team will do one shift on Thursday which will be an early morning pick to clear the whole site, they will then join the main pick for Sat, Sun and Mon. This will involve a lot of walking and the direction in your team name (North etc) gives you an indication of where you may be on the Thursday shift - although this can and will change! From Saturday you will join the main pick in the area indicated in your team name (i.e. Pyramid). This is the normal morning pick and involves litter picking in your area first and then moving on to where you’re needed next. See the description for the Blue teams for more detail.

Yellow Bridging Teams
Shift Times:
10:00 - 16:00 Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
You'll be one of three teams who litter pick after the main pick has started and carry on over lunch, finishing mid afternoon. This will be litter picking in areas of the site it’s harder to get the main pick too, round the edges of campsites and further out food traders etc. It will also be the teams that can respond to requests we might get from Event Control for particular picks in particular areas. This means you can expect a lot of walking, potentially over the same ground and getting to see bits of the site you might not usually! These teams will also be picking over lunch and won't be returning to Tom’s Field for food, but do start late, so it's a good idea to eat a good breakfast and get a packed lunch.

Green Afternoon Teams
Shift Times:
13:00 - 19:00 Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
These three teams will be picking around the festival site throughout the afternoon and early evening. This means picking with the public out and about, rather than big open fields. Team leaders will make sure you know where to meet in each section you pick and all full bags will need storing out of the public areas, so it’s quite a bit different from the morning pick. You will be picking whilst bands are playing, but this does often mean you have great music to keep you motivated and it’s a late start so good if you aren’t an early riser! Normally your team will have a section of site they concentrate on, but be prepared to be sent all over if you’re needed.

Blue Morning Teams (Pyramid, Circus and Theatre, Silver Hayes, Other Stage, Park, West Holts, Naughty Corner, Arcadia, Woodsies (John Peel), Mandela)
Shift Times:
6:00 - 12:00 Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon
These teams work Fri, Sat, Sun and Mon and do the early morning pick. You will meet and start picking in the area in the title of your team. The start time is for when you meet your team in the field. This is normally the quiet part of the day when we can really crack the rubbish and clear it out of the public areas. You will be picking in big teams of people, first clearing your area and then moving on to where you are needed next. This means clearing all the bin tops so vehicles can empty them, and picking ALL rubbish off the ground. It will involve walking and can be physically demanding. It’s also great camaraderie and you get to see the site tidy up before your eyes.

Evening Teams
Shift Times:
17:00 - 23:00 Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
This team work Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 5pm. The main job is clearing the public bins so they don't overfill. Working in small teams in specific areas while the site is busy and in full swing. This can be overwhelming as it will be loud and busy, but it can also be super fun and satisfying knowing what a huge difference your team is making. The introduction of the evening teams led to a massive upswing in the public using bins correctly as they were not overflowing. It also made the morning pick easier for the vehicle crews that empty the bins. You work late hours, but again this is good for those who aren’t early risers and prefer to make the most of Glastonbury nightlife!

Backstage
We are only recruiting people to do this shift if they have prior experience. If you don’t please make it obvious what experience you have of working in the service industry. Complex shift patterns over a 24hr period – contact Fiona for details.
The hours can be difficult but this team has unique access to the exclusive backstage area between the pyramid and Other stage. It is a combination of litter picking, clearing tables, emptying bins and generally keeping the backstage area spotless.

After Festival
Shift Times:
8.00 - 17:00 Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri AFTER festival
Working in big teams from Tuesday to Friday, these shifts will be about clearing large sections of site in the week after the show. There will be a HUGE amount of walking involved, as well as hard manual labour. You will also go over the same ground again, which can be demoralising but is necessary - it can feel like you’re being sent on a wild goose chase, but we promise you aren't! Also consider that the festival will be being dismantled so sometimes the long walk to the loos gets even longer when they disappear! It is a great one to do though, as the camaraderie and fun is enormous, you get to see a part of the festival not many do and your impact is vast in terms of returning the land to nature. We spotted hares and deer last year. You will be brought a packed lunch in the field and are expected to work for the whole shift time.

Recycling Centre
Shift Times: 
07:00 - 12:00 during festival team, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
or
13:00 - 18:00 during festival team, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
or
07:00 - 12:00 AFTER festival team, Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs
or
13:00 - 18:00 AFTER festival team, Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs
Experience preferred for this job. Working on the largest hand sorting recycling line in Europe (while it’s running) you will be sorting the recyclable waste that is collected from the site so it can be sent away as high quality recycling. The work is undercover in the recycling centre, there isn't much walking involved, but the work is mucky and it’s a very loud and intense environment. PPE is provided.

Tractor Loaders
Shift Times:
06:30 - 12:30 during festival team Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
or
12:30 - 18:30 during festival team, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
or
AFTER festival 6:30 - 10: 00 Mon, 8:00 - 17:00 team, Tues, Wed, Thurs
Experience preferred for this job. Riding with the tractors across the site to collect bagged up waste and recycling. Not as much walking as other jobs, but VERY physically demanding in other ways.

Everyone on the Recycling Crew works together to keep the festival clean and pull out as much material as possible to recycle.
But to make it work well we organise everyone into teams. Where possible we’ll keep you with your friends (so make sure you tell us who they are).
If you’ve done it before you might want to join a particular team, you can ask for that – but don’t rely on having the same team leader as they change around from year to year…