Street cleaning
It is the council’s responsibility to ensure
that all the streets in the Borough are kept clean and safe. Street
Cleansing operations are carried out by Veolia on behalf of the
council.
Streets are cleaned under the Environmental
Protection Act 1990. There are set schedules for the streets
to be cleaned, but they also are expected to be kept at an
acceptable standard outside of the schedules.
Street cleansing includes emptying of all
litter bins, reporting damaged bins and street furniture, removal
of all litter, dirt, dust, leaves.
The council aims to return any street reported
as being dirty to an acceptable level of cleanliness within 24
hours.
Cleanliness standards
- Grade A: no litter or refuse
- Grade B: predominantly free of litter and refuse apart from
some small items
- Grade C: widespread distribution of litter and refuse with
minor accumulations
- Grade D: heavily littered with significant accumulations
It is aimed to achieve a Grade A after sweeping, but it is not
reasonable to expect that standard to be maintained at all times.
If a street falls below a Grade A it is aimed to return it to that
grade within 24 hours.
The Environmental Protection Act indicates Tower Hamlets Council
has a legal duty to keep its streets predominantly free of litter
and general refuse. The streets are regularly monitored. Where the
level of cleanliness falls below a high standard steps are taken to
address the issue.
Customer contact centre
The council’s customer contact centre is available for you
to:
- ask questions about street cleansing or litter
- report dirty streets; overflowing litter bins; graffiti and
dumped rubbish
Tel: 020 7364 5004
Email: generalenquiries@towerhamlets.gov.uk
Related services
Street cleaning programme