Notting Hill Carnival: 300 tonnes of rubbish cleared from West London streets

Rubbish mounts up as carnival-goers leave litter during the family day at the Notting Hill Carnival in London
Rubbish mounts up as people leave litter during the Notting Hill Carnival in London Credit: PA

An estimated 300 tonnes of rubbish - the weight of 25 London buses - was cleared by Tuesday morning after the Notting Hill Carnival.

Kensington and Chelsea Council said the huge task was carried out by 200 cleaners supported by 30 refuse trucks and sweepers.

The council said it recycles as much rubbish as possible including composting the waste collected from over 1,000 toilets.

"The biggest challenge is the clean-up and whilst Carnival is a wonderful reflection of our, diverse, multi-cultural community, we want to return the streets back to normal as soon as possible, with minimal disruptions," said Councillor Emma Will.

"I want to thank our waste collection teams at SUEZ and everyone who works throughout the night to make that happen.

"With 30% of waste recycled and the chemical, water-free toilets that were available, we’ll continue to move towards a greener Carnival however we can," she added.

Crew were only able to start work after the crowds had dispersed and worked up against a tight deadline of 6am Tuesday.

The precision operation involved months of careful planning to get the streets ready for Tuesday’s early morning commuters.

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