Enough green energy to make 700,000 cups of tea from the rubbish cleaned up at Notting Hill Carnival

The largest street festival in Europe created 200 tonnes of rubbish over two days. More than one million people descended on Notting Hill and surrounding streets, along the 3.5 mile route, as part of the celebration of Caribbean culture.
The largest street festival in Europe created 200 tonnes of rubbish over two days.
 
More than one million people descended on Notting Hill and surrounding streets, along the 3.5 mile route, as part of the celebration of Caribbean culture.
 
The clean-up operation by Westminster City Council,  in partnership with Veolia, the UK’s leading resource management company, had 170 staff and 30 vehicles poised ready to clear the waste left behind by carnival-goers in time for the morning commute on Tuesday. 
 
Ten tonnes of waste was recycled and the remaining waste was converted into green energy and sent to the National Grid and then on to power and heat local homes within London. It is estimated that somewhere in the region of 20,000 kWh of heat and 100,000 kWh of electricity was produced. That’s enough for 80,000 hot showers or to make 700,000 cups of tea.
 
The recycling and waste collected from this year’s carnival was mainly plastic bottles,  beer cans and food packaging a long with additional props used by carnival-celebrators including sequins, inflatables, costume parts and much more.
 
The council offered a free cleaning service to front gardens and basements of households along the carnival’s route to remove rubbish dropped by partygoers. Over 150 brooms and shovels were used by a team of sweepers over 100 streets.