Barking and Dagenham Council has launched a campaign calling on residents to help create a cleaner and greener borough.
The new campaign comes after a drive to improve bin collections, increasing the amount of household waste that can be recycled, investing in 18 brand-new bin trucks and lots of new street cleaning vehicles and equipment to help spruce up streets across the borough.
Six simple steps for a Cleaner Barking and Dagenham
The council is also asking residents to do their bit by following six simple steps to help keep the borough at its best by:
- putting the right rubbish in the right bin
- recycling more at home
- getting rid of bulky waste responsibly
- keeping gardens clean and tidy
- reporting fly-tipping and neighbourhood issues
- going one step further – by getting stuck in at community litter-picking events or carrying out your own litter picks.
In addition to this, the council has launched a new Wall of Fame webpage – a cleaner, more celebratory version of its grime-hunting Wall of Shame video series – to celebrate the many community champions who are helping to tidy up Barking and Dagenham.
The Wall of Fame features fantastic voluntary local groups such as Roding Rubbish, which launched in 2019 and has collected over 3,000 bags of rubbish so far, as well as the Little Litter League in Dagenham which grew from one community champion’s idea while he was out jogging. It also features Eastbury Community School, whose young people have been doing great work to care for the environment and recycle more.
We’re really proud that so many of our residents already give up their time to make our borough a better place - it really does make a huge difference and can be a great way to get out, meet some new people from your local neighbourhood, while helping to make our local areas cleaner.
Councillor Syed Ghani, Cabinet Member for Public Ream, said: “If we’re to create a cleaner, greener borough it will take action from us all. We know where we need to improve, that’s why we have been investing in solutions and now operate a 99 per cent collection rate on bins and have upped our recycling rate by more than 10 per cent.
“We’re really proud that so many of our residents already give up their time to make our borough a better place. It really does make a difference and after almost two years of lockdowns, it can be a great way to get out, get some fresh air and meet some new people from your local neighbourhood, while helping to make our local areas cleaner.”
Residents can find out more about community litter picking events or can carry out their own local litter picking events, borrowing everything that’s needed from the council, including litter-pickers, gloves and bags. A collection point for all the rubbish can also be arranged to make the task easier.
We all live here and we should all care enough to want Barking and Dagenham to look its best. So, if you see rubbish, report it. If you come across fly-tipping, please report it. Lets all take real pride in where we live.
Leader of the Council, Councillor Darren Rodwell, said: “We know these six steps might sound obvious, but the truth is we all live here and we should all care enough to want Barking and Dagenham to look its best.
“So, if you see rubbish, report it. If you come across fly-tipping, please report it. As a council, we can only do so much, which is why we need you to help us by putting rubbish in bins, by not using a dodgy company off social media to dump your old fridge freezer, (take it to the tip or use our bulky waste service), and by taking real pride in where you live.”
For more information, visit the Cleaner Barking and Dagenham campaign webpage at lbbd.gov.uk/CleanerBD.