Leaf clearance

9 Nov 2011: Prior to Autumn, leaves will generally be cleared in conjunction with normal street cleaning. Between October and December, the typical period of greatest leaf fall, there are additional resources specifically to clear fallen leaves from the borough’s roads and pavements.

This year we have an extra:

  • Three large mechanical sweepers
  • Three caged vans
  • Six mechanical blowers
  • 12 members of staff collecting leaves

All these crews will be working along side the normal cleansing teams to remove leaves.

Enviro-crime clean team launched

Half a million pounds is being invested in street sweeping after residents said a clean borough was a high priority for them. Waltham Forest Council is increasing the frequency of its street sweeping in key areas and introducing ten weekend community cleaners known as the Enviro-crime clean team to tackle littering in areas which are normally only cleaned on weekdays.

» More information on the Enviro-crime clean team

Clean Britain Awards

Waltham Forest Council, the E11 BID and Kier Street Services have been commended for their joint work in keeping Leytonstone clean by receiving four stars from the Clean Britain Awards in the town category.

There are a variety of initiatives that have helped Leytonstone reach a high standard of cleanliness, these are reflected across the borough:

  • Extra leaf crews clearing leaves during the autumn
  • The introduction of a free bulky waste collection service
  • Enhanced enforcement activities around fly-tipping, trade waste disposal, waste containment, dog fouling, littering, highway obstruction, dirty land, the sale or repairs of cars on the street, graffiti, fly posting, planning enforcement and estate agents boards
  • Introduction of flower baskets
  • Timed collections piloted for flats above shops
  • Continuation of the Wiping out enviro-crime campaign to reduce enviro-crime in the borough and improve the streetscene
  • Dual litter bin trial in a pilot area
  • Two hour clear all, a number of rapid response teams introduced to remove fly-tipping, household waste, street cleansing and trade bags
  • A dedicated community sweeper up to 10pm

Street care and cleaning

Waltham Forest Council is committed to maintaining a clean and safe environment for residents. The Council is responsible for cleaning borough roads. As part of this, we aim to:

  • Clean all public roads in Waltham Forest at least once per week
  • Clean any reported streets, that have not been cleaned to the required standard, by 6pm next working day
  • Clear any sweeper sacks, left by cleaning operatives, the same day they are placed
  • Clear reported dumped rubbish, on public roads, by 6pm next working day
  • Clear reported dumped rubbish, on public open spaces managed by the Council, within 5 working days
  • Empty the borough's 1750+ litter bins before they overflow

Orphan Sites

Waltham Forest Council is working to clean up several areas of land that attract enviro-crime, this may be littering, fly-tipping, graffiti or dog fouling. There are a number of sites around the borough that are visually unappealing, and these sites can attract vandalism and encourage anti-social behaviour.

» More on orphan sites

Town centres

These are cleaned using a variety of methods that provide multiple cleans per day.

Roads managed by the borough

The Council is responsible for cleaning public roads, footpaths, channels (the edge of the road where it meets the kerb), central reservations, highway verges and planters (raised beds or  containers for plants). Roads are scheduled for cleaning according to their intensity of use, with the busiest cleaned daily and quiet side streets cleaned once per week.

Street cleansing schedule

Our contractor, Kier Street Services, cleans approximately 600 miles of roads per week using a mixture of mechanical and and manual methods. Find out when your street cleansing day is.

Roads managed by Transport for London (TfL)

Transport for London is responsible for the A406 and A12 running through the borough. Their contractors are responsible for maintenance and removal of fly-tips. The Council cleans the channel, nearside footway (where present) and central reservation in conjunction with TfL's contractor, according to their programme. TfL is also responsible for some underpasses and trunk road verges.

Fly-tips

Kier Street Services removes fly-tips in conjunction with scheduled cleaning and in response to requests. When responding to a request the target response is by 6pm the next working day.

In 2009 8,858 fly-tips were reported. Annual weight of street waste / fly-tips.

Fly-tipping is an offence and those responsible are liable to prosecution.

Litter

You can help us keep the borough clean by not dropping your litter on the floor. Either take it home with you or put it in a litter bin. If you are caught dropping litter you will be fined £75.

Litter bins

There are approximately 1,750 litter bins around the borough. Litter bins are placed where it is expected that they will make a contribution to reducing littering and dog fouling. It is sometimes necessary to move or remove bins because they attract fly-tipping. Litter bins are emptied in conjunction with street cleaning and according to how much they are used.

Sweepers sacks

Pedestrian cleaners leave sacks of street sweepings, and waste from litter bins, for subsequent collections. The frequency of removal relates to the maintenance arrangements and the intensity of use of the road. All sacks should be cleared the same day they are placed.

Service standards

Standards are derived from the Environmental Protection Act and the associated Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse.

The Code defines zones, based on intensity of use, and grades based on levels of litter and detritus:

A = Free of litter and detritus

B = Predominantly free of litter and detritus

C = Widespread distribution of litter / detritus with minor accumulations

D = Heavily affected by litter / detritus with significant accumulations

These standards apply irrespective of the method of delivery. The Code does not state that particular cleaning methods are required.

Kier Street Services uses a range of methods including manual (barrow beat) sweeping, mechanical sweeping using small, medium and large mechanical sweepers, team and individual cleaning and combinations of these.

When cleaning is undertaken, Kier Street Services is required to leave the area free of litter and detritus. It is accepted that after cleaning the cleanliness of a road will gradually reduce. The aim is to re-clean as often as is required to achieve the B standard, predominantly free of litter and detritus.

For roads that are cleaned daily or twice daily, Kier Street Services is also required to clean the first 20 metres of side roads when the daily road is cleaned. This is in addition to cleaning the whole of the side road as scheduled.

Litter bins are required to be emptied before they overflow.

Pedestrian cleaners leave sweepers sacks to be collected by vehicle. These should be removed on the same day that they are left.

Monitoring

To ensure consistency, all monitoring is undertaken using the grading scheme in the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse

Self monitoring

Kier supervisors monitor cleaning underway and shortly after. Supervisors are expected to take action where cleaning is not to standard.

Client monitoring

Monitoring is also undertaken by Client Monitoring Officers. A proportion is undertaken before, during and following cleaning, to establish a balanced view. Where roads are found to be below the required standard Client Monitoring Staff can issue instructions for the area to be brought to standard.

Independent monitoring

The Government uses National Indicator (NI) 195 to compare cleanliness in local authorities. There are three assessments per year, using the Keep Britain Tidy (formally ENCAMS) method derived from the Code of Practice on Litter and Detritus.

Each of the three assessments takes place in a different group of wards and consists of 300 x 50 metre sections across land use types. The Council uses an external provider so that the inspections are independent.

How are we currently doing?

Please view the document below to see our performance against our targets 2010/11:

Comments from service users

“I think Kier have been doing a good job of late.” Resident of Sewardstone Road E4

Trials

The initiatives currently on trial are:

  • Extra crews cleaning around schools and colleges where littering is a problem, during the afternoon, following lunchtimes / school close
  • Litter picking between scheduled sweeps on roads off Blackhorse Road, Forest Road, High Road Leyton, High Road Leytonstone, Lea Bridge Road and Markhouse Road