A sprawling heap of discarded tents, sleeping bags and camping kit has appeared alongside the famed Wimbledon Queue, where thousands of tennis supporters spend the night hoping to land coveted tickets for the Championships.
The official donation area in Wimbledon Park is now piled high with collapsed tents, deflated airbeds, duvets, pillows and other camping supplies, leaving volunteers and stewards to sift through the mess once fans have moved on.
Although some tents are salvaged and passed on for charitable reuse, a large share of the bedding and broken equipment is ultimately thrown away after a single night’s use.
One member of staff told the Daily Mail: “We pack up as many as we can be bothered to do. People just come over here and chuck their used tents and stuff on here. They are in a rush but they are just lazy.”
A second steward labelled some campers “selfish”, saying many drop their belongings onto the swelling pile with little thought for the workers left behind to deal with it.
The Wimbledon Queue remains one of the tournament’s best-known traditions, drawing thousands of fans who camp overnight in Wimbledon Park for the opportunity to purchase same-day tickets.
Those camping out are urged either to take their gear home with them or place usable items in the designated donation zone.
A growing pile of abandoned tents, sleeping bags and camping equipment has accumulated beside the famous Wimbledon Queue
The designated donation point in Wimbledon Park has become buried beneath a jumble of crumpled tents, deflated air mattresses, duvets, pillows and camping equipment
John, who collects reusable tents for the British Red Cross, said the number of perfectly usable tents left behind was remarkable.
He told the Daily Mail: ‘Last time I was here on Tuesday, I managed to take away 35 tents that were usable.’
Those tents are taken to the British Red Cross charity shop in Wandsworth, where they are resold.
But not everything can be saved: ‘The pillows and duvets we can’t resell for health and safety reasons, so they have to be thrown away.’
The charity carries out three collections during the Championships – one on Tuesday, another on Thursday and a final collection next week – but fresh piles quickly appear as more campers pack up and leave.’
At its peak, around 10,000 people can be in the Wimbledon Queue.
John added: ‘It is so wasteful, they have only been used about once.’
Some queue-goers said they had considered taking equipment from the donation pile to avoid buying their own, but were put off by the condition it was left in.
Some queue-goers said they had considered taking equipment from the donation pile to avoid buying their own, but were put off by the condition it was left in
While some of the tents are rescued and given a second life through charity, much of the bedding and damaged equipment ends up in the bin after being used just once
Tom Finn, 18, told the Daily Mail: ‘We actually took our tent and two blow up mattresses from the donation area. We heard about it before we came down so thought it would save us some money. But I don’t think it is very hygienic.
‘After we saw the pile we were a bit more concerned because it is just a messy heap of kit. Honestly I wouldn’t recommend people taking it from there.’
Jack Um, 36, from Scotland, decided to buy his own tent instead.
He said: ‘I bought my tent from Decathlon for £30 and it was the cheapest I could find. I thought about getting a tent from the donation area but then when I researched it, I was told that I might have to compete with homeless people needing them.
‘It is sad that people are just using their tent once, it is not good for the environment. I am going to try and take my tent with me. I have been camping here since Sunday and it is a good tent.’
Sally Jones, 45, who was visiting the Championships but had not camped overnight, said the sight of the donation area was disappointing.
She told the Daily Mail: ‘People are being selfish by using them once, think how bad that must be for the environment. And then just dumping them. I think it is because you can buy them so cheap.’
Jonathan Morrish, from Save The Park, the campaign group opposing Wimbledon’s expansion plans, said the growing Queue was bringing with it increasing amounts of waste.
He said: ‘Every year the size and scale of the Queue and the attraction for different audiences who just come for that particular experience, gets larger and larger. As does the paraphernalia and rubbish – with a reluctance to pay for left luggage and lack of enforcement by the organisers.’
He added: ‘Sadly much of the rubbish is being dumped in the rest of the park for which Wimbledon does not take responsibility which is a shame.’
A spokesperson for the AELTC said: ‘All items in good condition which have not been claimed are donated to charities and community groups and in particular to Wimbledon Foundation supported charities working to prevent homelessness in different ways.
‘We do not send anything to landfill, this is the same as for our overall waste collection system for the entire site.’
Influencers have shared their experiences about what it is like to queue for Wimbledon on social media
Dozens of TikTok and Instagram posts telling people how to secure coveted tickets for the tennis tournament have racked up millions of views, likes and shares
It comes after complaints from queue-goers last week that it was being ruined by influencers.
During week one of the Championships people were turned away from Wimbledon en masse or avoided the event altogether – after content creators encouraged thousands of tourists to swarm SW19 in viral social media videos.
Dozens of TikTok and Instagram posts told people how to secure coveted tickets for the prestigious tennis tournament, which have then gone have racked up millions of views, likes and shares.
Other influencers shared their experiences of what it is like to join the queue, with one American woman bragging how she had secured Centre Court tickets for less than £50 after joining the 10-hour line.
She encouraged others to do the same and shared a guide on ‘everything you need to know if you don’t have tickets and want to queue for Wimbledon’.
Meanwhile, another influencer with 25,000 followers turned up in flip flops as she vlogged her ‘six-hour’ stint in the queue.
