Thousands of traditional Caribbean costumes are worn at Notting Hill Carnival, however for one member of the Veolia clean up team, culture can be found in all outfits, including a street cleansing uniform.
Everton Brooks, Street Cleansing Operative from Veolia said: “I moved to London from Jamaica 10 years ago and I’ve been part of the Notting Hill Carnival clean up for every year since. I look forward to working this day - it shares the best of my Caribbean roots, and while my uniform isn’t as colourful as some outfits, my heart celebrates just as loudly.”
The three day festival hosts approximately two million people as they eat and dance their way along 3.5 miles of Notting Hill’s streets. Veolia manages the clean up operation on behalf of Westminster City Council and deployed 50 vehicles and 170 staff amongst the crowds to deliver the challenging clear up task.
On Sunday and Monday evenings the clean up started at around 10:30pm, with the team working through the night until the job was completed. By the time locals woke on Tuesday morning there was be no trace of the festival having taken place.
It’s anticipated that over 200 tonnes of rubbish was collected from the event, all to be sent to Veolia’s SELCHP Energy Recovery Facility, to deliver low carbon electricity and heat to local communities. The amount of recovered energy produced will generate enough power for every attendee to watch the carnival’s television highlights.
Helder Branco, Senior Contract Manager for Veolia in Westminster said: “The Notting Hill Carnival is one of the biggest clear up events of the year and requires a real team effort to get the job done. I’m proud our team can bring both experience and culture to the day, and that all streets are swiftly returned to normal once the last steel drum is beat.”
Councillor Tim Mitchell, Cabinet Member for Environment and City Management, said: “An enormous operation kicks into action to clear and clean the streets and get transport moving as normal after Carnival. It is a challenge for our staff but each year council officers and Veolia do us proud. The transformation is amazing – Europe’s biggest street party to business as usual in just a few hours.”