Ref: PR2243
Date: 15/06/2009

Wakefield’s streets and public places are cleaner than ever thanks to new ways of working by Wakefield Council’s environment team.

Cleanliness is measured every four months with a national survey and in 2008/2009 more than 96% of public areas were found to be litter free and more than 89% were judged to be very clean or clean.

Wakefield Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment Cllr Clive Hudson said: “We are determined to improve on the amount of clean and litter-free areas even more and want everyone in the district to join us in taking pride in their areas and keeping the streets tidy. Our rapid response service will continue to deal with local reports of littering, minor fly-tipping, dog fouling, graffiti, etc. We’re also using the latest survey to target the areas that fall short of our high standards and will be sending neighbourhood action teams to carry out programmed clean-ups and speak to residents about what they can do to help.”

The survey shows the overall standard of cleanliness in Wakefield is good, particularly in dealing with litter, graffiti, fly-tipping and fly-posting.

There are still some areas for improvement but Wakefield Council is already looking at how to make the district cleaner and greener by focusing on improvements to street cleansing and grasscutting, including the use of more efficient machinery.

The Council’s anti-litter campaign is also urging people to think about their actions and convey the message that if they don’t litter, the money currently spent on cleaning it up could be spent on places to go and things to do.
Other initiatives include speaking to school pupils and businesses, targeting litter and debris hotspots and banning the handing out of certain flyers without permission.

To report litter visit www.wakefield.gov.uk (see related links) or call the Council on 0845 8 506 506.

ENDS