North East Lincolnshire Council is relaunching a scheme to help communities to safely clean an alleyway or open space in their neighbourhood.
Applications open on Wednesday 1 November for Clear It, the new voluntary community clearance scheme.
The scheme is aimed at people who live with alleyways or patches of neglected land that suffer with fly-tipping.
Anyone interested can complete an online application form at www.nelincs.gov.uk/clear-it by the end of December.
Thanks to last year’s Clear-It scheme, volunteers worked with the Council to clear six alleyways and other problem areas, including land beside some garages in Great Coates. The alleyways volunteers cleared included Weelsby Street, Durban Road, Algernon Street, Arthur Street, St Helier’s Road, and Wellington Street.
How does it work?
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 will take responsibility for removing waste from an alleyway or patch of land and Council staff will help dispose of it.
The Council will also lend equipment such as litter pickers, bin bags and large bins.
Officers will arrange a site meeting with successful applicants to assess the site, the amount of waste and agree a date for the work.
Cllr Stewart Swinburn, portfolio holder for Environment and Transport, said:
“We’re bringing back Clear It to help those who are willing to come together and clear illegally dumped waste from an alleyway or patch of neglected land that’s not owned by the Council.
“When we first launched Clear It in 2022, we helped volunteers dispose of 48.73 tonnes of illegally dumped waste from problem areas.
“We’d like to see these types of spaces given a fresh start so they become vibrant places the community can enjoy and make better use of.
“If you are keen to transform a neglected alleyway or patch of land, please use the online application form at www.nelincs.gov.uk/clear-it.”
Cllr Ron Shepherd, portfolio holder for Safer and Stronger Communities, added:
“Clear It gives people the opportunity to work with their neighbours and take ownership of their shared space.
“We sympathise with people whose lives are affected by mess left in their alleyways, but they are private property and it’s not the Council’s job to keep them clean.
“Not all wards have alleyways, so to make the scheme fair and open to all parts of the borough, we are including patches of land that aren’t part of the Council’s usual street cleansing duties. These might be areas where the owner can’t be traced or where it’s not clear who’s responsible for it.
“We’re willing to help those who organise themselves and put plans in place to try and bring their alleyway or a neglected patch of land into use after we’ve helped them by disposing of the rubbish.”
Visit www.nelincs.gov.uk/clear-it for more details. If you have questions about the scheme, please email [email protected].
Before and after photos of an alleyway clearance behind Algernon Street
What can I do if my application is not successful?
There are other options for those who would like to clear their alleyway.
- You could work with your neighbours and clean up the mess together. If there are any clearances costs these could be shared with other neighbours. This is a great way to take ownership of your shared space. Please contact the Council for advice before you do this by emailing [email protected].
- Community Recycling Centres – Household waste can be taken free of charge to our two community recycling centres. In some circumstances we can give community groups passes to use the tips for waste they clear from alleyways. Please contact the Council for advice about this by emailing [email protected].
- Private clearance company – You could pay a private company to clear the waste and dispose of it for you, but make sure they are licensed to take it. Waste carrier licences are issued by the Environment Agency. You can check for licensed waste carriers at https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers or by calling the Environment Agency on 03708 506 506.
Share this article