02 Mar 2022
CLEAR IT! Deadline extended for new scheme to support community clean ups to transform alleyways and neglected patches of land
North East Lincolnshire Council is launching a new pilot project to help communities to safely clean an alleyway or open space in their neighbourhood.
They are now inviting applications 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 Thursday 10 March.
So far, about 10 people have applied to take part in the scheme. Expressions of interest will be assessed the week beginning 14 March and successful applicants notified by Friday 18 March.
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 provide equipment such as gloves, litter pickers, brushes, bin bags, shovels 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 launching this new scheme to help people 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.
“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.
“Community volunteers in Liverpool started a similar project where they cleared up the mess and the Council took away the rubbish.
“They transformed their alleyways from rubbish dumps into community gardens and safe places for children to play, wouldn’t it be great to see that here?
“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:
“Our new Clear It scheme gives people the opportunity to work with their neighbours and take ownership of their shared space.
“This is something we’ve wanted to introduce for a few months but had to put on hold due to the disruption caused by Covid.
“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 cleanandgreen@nelincs.gov.uk.
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 cleanandgreen@nelincs.gov.uk.
- 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 cleanandgreen@nelincs.gov.uk.
- 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.
ENDS
Contact Information
Sean Topham
sean.topham@nelincs.gov.uk
Notes to editors
What clean up organisers will do
Complete the form to register an interest in Clear It, the voluntary community clearance scheme.
The clean-up organiser agrees to take responsibility for clearing the alleyway or open space and leaving the waste at the agreed location, date and time.
The organiser and their volunteers will be responsible for removing the waste from the alleyway or open space. The Council will provide large bins to help you move the waste.
The event organiser and volunteers need to read the Volunteer Litter Picking guidance at www.nelincs.gov.uk/litter-picks to help understand and manage the risks when organising a community clearance.
There are rules about the types of waste the Council can dispose of. They won’t take asbestos, vehicle batteries, clinical waste, engine oil, fertilisers, or trade waste. Please contact a registered specialist waste carrier for other types of waste that is not accepted at the tip.
What the Council will do
This is a discretionary scheme subject to the resources we have available.
We will initially offer this support once per year for each ward in North East Lincolnshire, depending on the applications. If demand and resources allow, we will consider more than one application from each ward.
We will assess all expressions of interest and score these against the set criteria.
It is your responsibility to remove the waste from the alleyway or piece of land. We will help dispose of it.
After it has been cleared, we will not return to clear the same alleyway or piece of land.
For successful applications, we will arrange a site meeting to assess the waste in the alleyway or open space.
Clearance work will be scheduled from the beginning of March onwards, subject to Government restrictions relating to the coronavirus pandemic and staffing resources.
Clearances will be restricted by volume and a time limit from 8am to 1pm, which we will agree at the site meeting.
We might not be able to take all waste from the site in the allotted time. We will discuss the options with you at the site meeting.
We can provide you with a risk assessment template and the loan of equipment such as gloves, litter pickers, brushes, bin bags and shovels, if needed. These must be returned.
We will provide large, four-wheeled bins to help you move the waste from the clearance site to the kerbside where we will collect it.
We will work with the community clearance organiser to take before and after photos of the alleyway or open space and the cleared waste.
We will collect and dispose of the waste you clear if it is presented at the agreed time and location.
The lead person will be responsible for waste placed at the kerbside, agreed with the NELC delegate on the day. Should they place out more than agreed, it will be their responsibility to remove from the public highway and arrange its disposal.
Officers from our Environmental Enforcement Team will visit the site after the clearance, identify potential fly-tipping risks and repeat problems, and write to households in the area about their responsibilities when disposing of waste.
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