The Council's clean-up operation was well under way within minutes of the close of the Carnival. A team of over 130 street cleaners, refuse staff and waste managers along with a huge fleet of some 30 vehicles led the clean-up after Europe's biggest street festival.
It is estimated that over 200 tonnes of waste will be cleared from the Carnival area. The bulk of the waste, comprising mainly of dumped food waste, food packaging and drinks containers was removed throughout the night on both Sunday and Monday to ensure the roads were cleared and passable for start of work on Tuesday morning.
Most of the waste is cleared manually by pushing it into piles, which are then scooped up into bath shaped containers and emptied into refuse vehicles. Mechanical sweepers are used to repeatedly cleanse the gutters and high-pressure pavement washers are deployed to remove grease and oil from the worse affected areas.
This is the sixth year that SITA, the Council's contract cleaners have been used for the waste collection and cleaning project. The Council also provides a request service for residents who wish to have their gardens cleaned after the event.
The clean up operation is expected to be completed by the end of the week, by which time all remaining temporary mains connected toilets will be removed.
The Leader of the Council, Councillor Merrick Cockell comments: "The clean-up following the Carnival is a mammoth task which requires a tremendous amount of hard work completed to a very tight schedule. The refuse and street cleaning crews are certainly some of the Carnival's unsung heroes and deserve to be commended."
For more information contact Press and Public Relations.
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