Take part in the Capital Clean up

Tuesday September 6, 2011

Residents can help to keep the streets of Hammersmith & Fulham cleaner than ever before by organising or taking part in a ‘Capital Clean-up’ event.

The campaign, ran by the Mayor of London, is now in its fifth year of helping London communities take part in the maintenance of the places where they live and work by encouraging volunteering.

The Capital Clean-up summer campaign saw over 145 clean-up events registered over six weeks and approximately 1,700 people taking part. Clean-up events included litter picks, graffiti removal and riverside tidy-ups.

Following the success of that initiative, the campaign will be returning throughout September. You can organise your own events in Hammersmith & Fulham, or find out how to get involved by visiting www.london.gov.uk/capitalclean-up (opens new window).

Official statistics just released show that an incredible 98 per cent of streets in the borough comply with Keep Britain Tidy cleanliness standards. That is H&F’s highest ever rating and places the borough amongst the top five local authorities in London for street cleanliness.

The council’s waste management contractor, Serco, work around the clock to keep the borough spick and span but this top score can also be attributed to the thousands of residents who help to keep the borough clean and take part in community events like Capital Clean-up.

Cllr Greg Smith, cabinet member for residents’ services, said: “In this borough, we are lucky that there are so many people who take pride in where they live and refuse to see our streets treated like a giant rubbish bin. It is that dedication, together with the council’s commitment to cleaner streets that has meant that we now have some of the pristine roads in London.

“I would like to thank the army of residents who help the council to keep the borough clean and urge all like-minded people to take part in the forthcoming Capital Clean-up. Street cleaning is a very expensive process, so by not dropping litter in the first place and taking part in community events, residents are helping the council to save money.”

Recent clean-up events in H&F included a litter pick in Wormwood Scrubs and a similar event in Wormholt Park, organised by the local Friends group and environmental charity Groundworks.

September’s Capital Clean-up also coincides with several exciting national and international volunteering campaigns. These include:

• The United Nations “Clean Up the World” weekend  - September 16-18 - An estimated 35 million volunteers from more than 130 countries take part annually.
• Keep Britain Tidy’s “Love Where You Live” week of action – September 19 - 25 – This aims to inspire everyone to think about their communities and take action to reduce litter in the locations where they live, the places they visit and the spaces that they use. You can follow the campaign at www.twitter.com/LWYLengland (opens new window) or at www.facebook.com/lovewhereyoulive (opens new window)
• Sewa Day - 25 September – This is an international day of volunteering where people across the world come together to experience the joy of giving.

To report suspected fly-tipping, or to alert the council to a litter issue call our hotline on 020 8753 1100 or email cleaner.greener@lbhf.gov.uk.