As 50,000 celebrate LGBT culture in one of the biggest Pride celebrations in Europe on Saturday 25th June, 140 extra staff and vehicles will be poised to clear Westminster streets so that they’re clean and sparkly for all to enjoy.
Veolia, on behalf of Westminster City Council, expect to clear 45 tonnes of waste in a non-stop operation until 3am on Sunday morning, as the party continues into Soho. An estimated 10,000 bags will be collected by the team, the equivalent weight of four double decker parade buses!
To do this as efficiently and effectively as possible, Veolia has lined up extra resources:
• 110 extra staff
• 30 extra vehicles including mechanical brooms and hot flushing vehicles
• Extra elbow grease using 75 brooms
The team will also be working through the night on the day before to ensure Westminster is looking its best for the parade which will include 233 walking groups and 54 floats.
All waste collected will be sent to the Veolia run energy recovery facility in south east London, SELCHP, to heat and power local London homes as a more sustainable solution to dispose of waste and supply much needed energy. The amount of waste collected is enough to power 560,000 London televisions for an hour while they watch the Pride Festival highlights.
Commenting on Veolia’s forthcoming efforts, Vincent Masseri, Senior Contract Manager for Veolia Westminster said: ‘We’re always looking to turn waste, or as we see it, material into an essential resource, such as generating heat and power for local homes. I would like to pay particular tribute to our staff who will work very hard over the weekend to clear bottles, banners and flags to ensure we can also take pride in our streets.’
Councillor Melvyn Caplan, Cabinet Member for City Management and Customer Services, said: "At Westminster City Council we are proud of our track record of inclusivity and tolerance, and are delighted to support the work of Pride London. Consequently, I want to thank all our staff who will be working hard over the weekend on the clean-up, and their efforts to ensure Westminster continues to be a clean and welcome home for all our communities, irrespective of race, religion or sexual orientation”.
