An estimated 150 tonnes of rubbish was cleared from the streets on the first night of Notting Hill Carnival, following a day of parade, music and dancing.
A total of 300 tonnes of rubbish is expected to be cleared across the weekend by Kensington and Chelsea Council and their waste partner, Suez.
The council is set to clear the streets again after the final day of the Carnival on Monday, deploying 45 waste collection vehicles and 180 staff overnight to return the streets to normal by Tuesday morning.
The clean-up effort comes after residents previously told The Standard of the waste caused by the event - 41-year-old Olivier Pfanner who lives on Portobello Road said: “When Carnival is finished it’s an absolute mess. It stinks for about a week and there’s rubbish everywhere.”
A graffiti cleaning and jet washing service is also provided by the council to residents and businesses after carnival.
Kensington and Chelsea’s waste disposal efforts come after the council provided an additional £232,000 in grant funding after the future of the event came under threat due to funding and safety concerns.
Around 30 per cent of waste from the Carnival weekend is recycled.
Counsellor Johnny Thalassites, lead member for environment and planning at Kensington and Chelsea Council, said: “Our communities rightly expect their streets to be back to normal and ready for business by Tuesday morning after Carnival, and we’re very proud to deliver that year in, year out.
“It’s a major operation and I am in awe of the hard-working men and women in our waste crews who work tirelessly through the night to collect the rubbish on Sunday and Monday. The work doesn’t stop there. Over the next week we do extra jet-washing and graffiti cleaning so that the streets are back to normal, fast.”
Gary O'Hagan, regional manager at SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK, said: “We are fully prepared for one of the biggest clean-up operations in Europe.
"Thanks to years of experience, we have a well-established operational plan to ensure our clean-up runs smoothly and efficiently. Our crews work incredibly hard, often through the night, to ensure that the streets are returned to normal as quickly as possible.
"We’re proud to play a key role in getting the area looking clean and tidy again after such a landmark event for the borough, with the bulk of the clean-up completed in time for Tuesday’s early morning commuters.”
