Big Clean Up is back in town

Get your litter pickers ready – the Big Clean Up is back in town.

Throughout September, residents and businesses from across Tower Hamlets will be mucking in to take part in clean-ups in Whitechapel, Victoria Park, Poplar and Bethnal Green.

John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets said: “Our Big Clean Up events are a great way to engage local residents and partners. We’re helping to maintain a clean environment and creating a sense of pride for the area.

“Earlier this year we adopted an ambitious Waste Strategy. It champions the need to support people to love their neighbourhood and these clean-up events are a big part of that.”

A highlight of this latest series will see clean-up stalwarts Good Gym coming together with Barts Health NHS Trust volunteers to spruce up the Royal London Hospital’s John Harrison Garden. This event will take place on 16 September.

As part of Recycle Week, which runs between 23 and 29 September, the council will be running an action day with community groups Plastic Free Roman Road and Sunny Jar Eco Hub on 25 September. First year geography students from Queen Mary University of London will also be involved.

Residents came together in Wapping and Rectory Gardens last weekend to get in the clean-up spirit as they took part in their own litter picks and community action days.

David Edgar, Cabinet Member for the Environment said: “Dropping litter isn’t acceptable and I’m encouraged to see residents and businesses working together to clean up their area.

“Our teams work hard to pick up litter throughout the year, but their resources are not unlimited. We are very fortunate to have some fantastic community groups on the ground in Tower Hamlets who are willing to lend a hand.”

The first Big Clean Up took place in late 2017 as part of Tower Hamlets’ Love Your Neighbourhood campaign. Since then, we have welcomed around 650 helpers to more than 70 events.

The last spruce up of the borough, which took place in April, saw almost 100 bags of rubbish and recyclable waste collected from sites across Tower Hamlets. We’re confident that with the help of our residents, we’ll be able to beat that total this year.