Yes. UK law states that we have to do Right to Work checks on both paid and volunteer workers. We explain how to do this if you apply. 

Due to the importance of the work we do we need to avoid the volunteer system being abused by people using our Worker’s Pass to access the festival without any intention of volunteering their time, therefore we take personal recommendations from existing crew members. We do not accept unsolicited applications. 

If we are able to invite you to apply we send you a link for our application system.

Applicants should be aware that the positions on the Recycling Crew are labour intensive; whilst we can make reasonable adjustments to accommodate those with disabilities, this work may not suit everyone.

Glastonbury Festival has a brilliant Accessibility Team to support those with mobility issues around the site. You can find out more about Access support on the Glastonbury Festival website here.

Please do not apply to the Access Team using the link on the Festival’s website; if you are accepted on the crew, we will send you a crew application link.

We ask all applicants to make a security payment, equivalent to the cost of a festival ticket, when they apply for a position on the crew. Everyone who completes their shifts gets a full refund 3-6 weeks after the festival. Those who don’t have a valid reason for not completing their shifts forfeit the security payment, and the funds go to one of the 18 charities who work with us.

Your volunteer hours depend on what shift you do and when. Here’s a quick summary:

• Litter Pick shifts during the show total 24 hours of volunteer work.

• Litter Pick shifts after the festival total 32 hours of volunteer work. These shifts run Tuesday to Friday after the festival.

• Recycling Centre shifts total 20 hours of volunteer work either during or after the festival.

• Tractor Loader shifts total 24 hours of volunteer work either during or after the festival.    

The allocation system asks all applicants to prioritise their top 10 shifts and we then try to allocate you one of these shifts. Unfortunately, this isn’t always possible, so you would need to be prepared to accept alternative shifts. If you are allocated a shift you don’t like, you will be able to add yourself to the ‘Shift-Swap’ list in case a position becomes free. 

Yes, but this must be arranged in advance with us. Children must always be under adult supervision whilst on site, so you would need to ensure an adult is with them when you were working.

• Children 12 years or under are free but may need to provide proof of age (eg birth certificate).

• Children 13+ require a public ticket which you must purchase (see Glastonbury Festival website on how to apply here).

Yes, we provide a crew car park pass for those who request one. However, the Festival encourages everyone to consider their environmental footprint and to either car share or use public transport to travel to the site. Useful sites to look at for more environmentally friendly ways to get to site include:

• National Express  https://www.nationalexpress.com

• National Rail https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

• Liftshare  https://liftshare.com/uk/community/glastonbury

• Brighton Peace & Community Centre (London & Brighton pick-ups) https://bpec.org/

• Our Glastonbury Festival Recycling Crew Facebook group

We are biased, but our crew caterer is amazing! Each of our volunteers are given 2 or 3 meal tickets, depending on if they volunteer during or after the show, for each shift they complete. Our food marquee is based in Ivy Mead, which is 30 seconds walk from Tom’s Field. Food can also be purchased from our crew catering on the days you aren’t working.  

Meat, vegetarian and vegan meals. They also make accommodations for dietary requirements such as gluten-free, lactose free and food allergies. A food matrix will be produced by the caterer to show which meals accommodate which dietary requirements.

Yes. We are lucky to be based at Tom’s Field, which is near to the farm. We also have some additional camping areas nearby, and families can camp in Cockmill Meadow Campsite, which is near to Tom’s Field, if they wish.

Our crew camping areas are for tents only - caravans, camper vans and cars are not permitted.

Yes. We have limited camping space so we ask all crew members to please be considerate with the tent they bring. There’s a lot of us to get into the crew campsite.

Yes. Due to the nature of our work the Festival provides our crew with showers. We also have our own toilets.

Of course. All of our crew are given a specially designed t-shirt each time they volunteer with us. 

Actually, a lot of our volunteers come on their own. Our crew are a really friendly bunch, and the nature of our work means there’s always someone to chat to. We also have crew events before the festival starts so that you can meet everyone.  Come test your random knowledge at the Crew Quiz on Tuesday 22nd June at 7pm and join the Crew Party, with live music,  on Thursday 24th June from 7pm. We have our own crew bar and a chill-out area with a fire pit where there is generally at least 1 person wanting to chat about the acts they plan to see.