London 2012 Olympics: 85 tonnes of rubbish cleared up in Games opening weekend

 
Clean-up: Street sweepers after the road race
29 July 2012

Westminster City Council has cleared up 85 tonnes of rubbish across the first weekend of the Games.

A team of 200 has been working to clean up litter left by spectators ahead of next week's events.

Since the torch passed through Westminster on Thursday, the £1.2 million cleaning squad has collected 17,000 bags of rubbish.

On the first day of the Games, a crew of 55 people and 10 vehicles were on clean-up duty - taking over an hour to clean up litter after the cycle race won by Kazhakstan athlete Alexander Vinikourov.

Cllr Ed Argar, Westminster Council’s Cabinet Member for City Management said: “The eyes of the world are on London for the Olympic Games, and we are determined to play our part in helping make them the best Games ever, and ensuring that London looks at its very best.

“Our dedicated Olympic clean up team have done a first-class job over the first few days of the Games, getting the streets back to their best for the start of the first full week of the Games after this weekend's fantastic road-race events, both for the millions of extra visitors to the city, and for the residents and businesses of Westminster.

“Although Westminster is more than used to dealing with major events, keeping the city running and looking fantastic during the Games is a mammoth operation and a big challenge - but one we're well prepared for. Our cleansing teams are determined to do their best for the Olympics, the greatest show on earth, and their dedication and amazing hard work this weekend has clearly paid off yet again."

Pascal Hauret, Veolia Environmental Services’ London Director of Municipal Services, said: “We have been preparing for this immense challenge for a long time and coming so soon after the Jubilee celebrations the team are out in force once again and excelling themselves with their hard work.

"They will no doubt continue to do so throughout this busy summer period. “It is a testament to their dedication and our commitment to cleaning the streets of Westminster to such a high standard and I thank them all for their efforts.”

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