16,870KG of waste cleared by North East Lincolnshire Council and residents as Clear It scheme gets underway

Over 16 tonnes of debris including discarded children’s toys, wood and mattresses have been removed as the Clear It scheme gets underway.

With Clear It, the Voluntary Community Clearance scheme, the Council aims to support communities to come together, safely clean up an alleyway or an open space in their area and improve community pride.

Volunteers take responsibility for removing waste from an alleyway or patch of land and Council staff will help dispose of it. The Council will also provide equipment such as litter pickers, bin bags and large bins.

The first site, Oxford Court in Grimsby, saw residents, community leaders, operational crews and volunteers from the Council’s delivery partners EQUANS help remove the waste.

Bins were supplied and all bulky items removed the night before to ensure all waste could be cleared. The team spent a number of hours clearing other items of rubbish that included a wooden bed frame, a sofa and a child’s play house.

Stewart Swinburn, Portfolio Holder for Transport and Environment added: “It’s great to see the Clear It scheme taking effect in such a positive way.

“As a Council, we’re dedicated to improving our borough however we can. I’d also like to thank the crews and volunteers for giving up their time and to praise them for doing such an amazing job.

“I look forward to seeing more transformations like this across the borough in the coming weeks and months as we try to tackle the issues that are residents are most concerned about.”

There are another 11 locations to be cleared as the scheme continues throughout the year. Clear It was launched in 2022 to help tackle the fly tipping and illegal dumping across North East Lincolnshire.