The big clean-up begins: 300 tonnes of rubbish cleared after Notting Hill Carnival

By Jacob Phillips, Local Democracy Reporter.

Roughly 300 tonnes of rubbish were cleared from the streets of Ladbroke Grove overnight as the first Notting Hill Carnival in three years came to a close.

The huge amount of rubbish, which weighs the same as 25 London buses, was cleaned up by 6am this morning.

More than 200 street cleaners swept up the litter and 30 per cent of the waste is expected to be recycled by Kensington and Chelsea council.

The council also composts the waste collected from 1,000 toilets dotted around the carnival route, and more than 80 stalls took part in a food waste scheme.

The Notting Hill Carnival returned to the streets of west London for the first time in three years following the Covid pandemic.

Kensington and Chelsea councillor Emma Will, in charge of culture, leisure and community safety, said: “I’m so pleased to see how well the carnival has gone and everyone has worked so hard to ensure it ran smoothly.

“The biggest challenge is the clean-up and while the carnival is a wonderful reflection of our diverse, multi-cultural community, we want to return the streets back to normal as soon as possible, with minimal disruptions.”

Pictured top: Barriers for the Notting Hill Carnival (Picture: Julia Gregory)