The great Glastonbury clean-up is under way as volunteers start work to shift more than 1,650 tonnes of waste, including hundreds of discarded tents, from the fields.

As the hard work to clean the site began yesterday, revellers faced a wait of up to five hours to leave the festival site in the scorching heat.

Avon and Somerset Police reported four-mile tailbacks on the A37 and A39 away from the 900-acre site in Pilton.

The clean-up process, which takes more than two weeks, involves an estimated 500 paid staff picking litter, and several more doing other jobs.

Despite festival organiser Michael Eavis's "Love the Farm, Leave no Trace" policy, discarded tents, clothes and plastic bags could be seen across the site yesterday.

Based on previous years' figures, the 150,000 festival-goers, workers and performers who partied on the site over five days this year are expected to have left behind 54 tonnes of cans and plastic bottles, 9.12 tonnes of glass and 11.2 tonnes of discarded tents.

There are also 193 tonnes of "compostable material".

There are 66.77 tonnes of scrap metal, 0.25 tonnes of plastic sheeting, 41.76 tonnes of cardboard, 10 tonnes of dense plastics and 400 tonnes of wood.

Last year, just under half of the waste generated at the festival was recycled. Andy Willcott, who oversees the cleansing operation, said: "We are trying to return it back to being a farm again.

"Priority is not sending waste to landfill and recycling as much as we can."

One driver trying to leave the site yesterday was Gareth Donovan, 35, from Weston-super-Mare, who said he had moved just a few yards in five hours between 9.30am and 2.30pm.

Other cars kept feeding in ahead of him in the queue, he said, adding that he was not letting the delay ruin his day.

Mr Donovan said: "I'm just taking it in my stride. Listening to Worthy FM (the festival's radio station), trying to keep out of the midday sun."

Meanwhile, fears were growing last night for a Glastonbury reveller who had not been seen by his friends since Sunday morning.

Andrew Hill, 26, was last spotted at 8am and his family and friends have not heard from him.

Avon and Somerset police said today that "concern is growing".

Mr Hill, from Nottinghamshire, was last seen between the Pyramid Stage and the John Peel Stage and had no mobile phone with him.

He is described as 5ft 8in tall, with short, light brown hair and wearing camouflage shorts. He has a tribal tattoo on the centre of his back and on his left leg.

Police are urging anyone who may have seen him, or Mr Hill himself, to contact them on 0845 456 7000.

Organiser Michael Eavis described this year's music festival as "the best one ever" and confirmed that another festival was planned next summer.

At a press conference he said: "I know I say this every year but this must be the best one ever.

"Bruce Springsteen did a hell of a show. What energy that chap has got at 58. Amazing. It is probably the best show of his life."

He refused to reveal any possible headliners for next year saying: "I don't think we can ever do it better than we did this year."

Police are also celebrating lower crime and more arrests at this year's festival, claiming campers responded to their "professional and friendly" approach.

A total of 445 crimes were recorded – down from 483 last year. Some 174 of those offences were drug related.

Thefts from tents were down by nearly 30 per cent, from 244 last year to 179.

156 arrests were made compared to 151 last year, the majority being for possession and possession with intent to supply drugs like cannabis and ecstasy.