Merton Council is encouraging residents to take up their brooms and don their rubber gloves this spring and summer as part of the Love Your Street campaign.
Starting this month and running until July, a programme of borough-wide clean-up events will see the council’s clean team working with Street Champions, Merton Matters, Sustainable Merton, community groups and residents to spruce up local neighbourhoods over the spring and summer months. The first spruce-up event will take place on Saturday 14 March in St Helier, starting at St Helier roundabout on Morden Road and covering an area up to Middleton Road, coming back along Canterbury Road. The council’s clean team will lead the clean-up and will supply everyone with litter pickers, gloves and bags on the day.
Launch of the Love Your Street campaign last month
As part of the Love Your Street campaign and following the success of last year’s Big Merton Clean-Up this event is just one of many with others planned over the coming months including the following areas:
Easter break
- Wednesday 1 April, 10am-12pm: Lowry Crescent, Western Road and Lavender Park meeting at the Lowry junction with Western Road
- Thursday 9 April, 10am-1pm: Fieldgate Lane (Mitcham) family planting day with Sustainable Merton meeting at Miles Road playing fields
Other dates
- Saturday 9 May, 10am-12pm: Figges Marsh, Framfield Road and Manship Road meeting at Framfield Road junction with Figges Marsh
- Wednesday 27 May, 10am-12pm: Merton High Street service slip road, Haydon Road Recreation Ground, Trafalgar Road meeting at Haydons Road Recreation Park in Haydons Road
- Wed 3 June, 10am-12pm: Moreton Green and surrounding area meeting at the play area
- Saturday 4 July, 10am-12pm: Area around Dundonald Road tram stop and Dundonald Park, meeting at Dundonald Park by the pavilion
During the Easter break, Sustainable Merton, Barratt Homes and the council are working together on the Fieldgate Lane makeover in Mitcham. Everyone, including children with their parents, are welcome to come along and help plant fruit trees and plants, transforming the area into a plot that can be enjoyed by the community.
All of the clean-ups are open to everyone and to attend, people can show up on the day or let the council know by calling 0208 545 3189 and leaving a message.
The Love Your Street campaign marks the council’s new approach in its ongoing fight against people littering and fly-tipping by boosting the positive work it does with residents, businesses, community groups and schools across the borough. As well as spending over £5million keeping Merton’s streets clean every year, educating people about the effects of environmental crime and being tougher on people who drop litter, this campaign is the latest initiative in the council’s anti-litter campaign. This follows the council’s partnership with environmental enforcement specialists, on-the-spot £75 penalty charge notices, the installation of special gum and cigarette butt bins across the borough and new high tech smart bins in parks.
Merton Council’s cabinet member for environmental cleanliness and parking, Councillor Judy Saunders said: “Merton is a great place to live but a small minority of people continue to litter our streets. We know that many residents work hard to keep their neighbourhood clean and the Love Your Street campaign is about recognising that commitment, taking a stand against litter and showing pride in our local area. I encourage everyone to come along and take part in one of the clean-ups and if getting out and about to clean up isn’t your thing, you can still show your support by being the eyes and ears of the community and reporting issues that need to be addressed. Our clean teams are out around the clock clearing up litter and fly-tips and we want to work with residents, businesses and schools to show that we will not accept littering in Merton.”
-ENDS-
- Litter and fly-tipping reports can be made through the Love Clean Streets phone app that was launched last year.
- Love Your Street pledge:
As part of the Love Your Street campaign, the council has set up a way for residents, businesses, schools and community groups to unite against litter and demonstrate their pride in their local community. The council published its anti-litter code last year which sets out what residents can expect from the council and how residents can help to stop people littering the borough. People can show their commitment by signing up to a pledge, taken from this anti-litter code, to show their commitment to keeping Merton clean and taking pride in where they live. When people sign up to the pledge they will receive a campaign sticker to stick in their window to demonstrate their support for those who work hard to keep the borough tidy, making a stand against the small minority of people who litter. Residents who sign up to the pledge will be automatically entered into a draw for a £100 One4all voucher every three months. The prize vouchers have been sponsored by eddisonwhite estate agents.