Volunteers rally together for Big Clean Up 8

Along the water, at night and throughout the parks – our volunteers went beyond the call of duty for Big Clean Up 8.
The litter-picking campaign, which ran for three weeks in September, saw a range of events in locations including Regent’s Canal, the surroundings of the Royal London Hospital and Mile End Park.
118 bags of general rubbish and recyclable waste were collected throughout the week – amounting to 187kg litter which had been dumped in streets, parks and along the canal.
John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets said: “Our volunteers have exceeded expectations once again. The council works is committed to keeping our streets clean but there is always more we could do as a community so it’s great to see so many people getting involved and giving their areas a spruce up.”
As part of Recycle Week, which ran between 23 and 29 September, the council ran an action day with stalls from community groups Plastic Free Roman Road, Sunny Jar Eco Hub and the Women’s Environmental Network in Globe Town Market Square on 25 September.
Over in Meath Gardens, youngsters from Rachel Keeling Nursery School – accompanied by parents – led by example with an enthusiastic litter pick in the park.
During the week, which ran with the motto ‘Recycling Week: It’s in our hands’, first year geography students from Queen Mary University of London conducted a consumer survey with businesses along Roman Road.
Earlier in the month, clean-up regulars Good Gym took part in a group night-time run to Whitechapel’s Royal London Hospital, before giving a spruce up to the surrounding areas and the John Harrison Garden within the grounds.
There were also two separate clean-ups along Regent’s Canal this year, with Canary Wharf’s Moody’s tackling the water in canoes and Capgemini sprucing up the towpath, as well as throughout Mile End Park.
David Edgar, Cabinet Member for the Environment said: “Many residents will have seen our litter pickers doing their bit to keep Tower Hamlets clean in September.
“Through our ambitious Waste Strategy, which we adopted earlier this year, we are looking to support people in voluntary activities. The Big Clean Up is growing each year – thank you to everyone who took part.”
The Big Clean Up events have welcomed more than 700 helpers at 68 events since late 2017 as part of Tower Hamlets’ Love Your Neighbourhood campaign.