If the bright coloured floats, music and crowds didn’t convince you that Pride Paraders know how to party, the glitz and glamour of Veolia’s clean up will.
Pedro Ferreira Street Cleansing Foreman from Veolia said: “Over the years we’ve found everything you can think of after the Pride Parade, from unicorn costumes, to wedding veils, glitter wands and balloons in all shapes and sizes. It’s all evidence that the Pride paraders know how to have a good time. We love doing the clear up, it’s one of the most fun events of the year.”
It’s certainly true that a pile of Pride leftovers is unlike any other event, typically containing a large amount of:
- rainbow flags
- flyers
- costume leftovers
- glass bottles
- food containers.
The parade dazzled thousands of spectators along Westminster and ended with a party in Trafalgar Square. Veolia manages the clear up operation on behalf of Westminster City Council, and took great pride in ensuring streets were left sparkling (clean) once the celebrations were over.
To clean up after the parade, Veolia deployed over 20 vehicles and 100 staff. They expect to have collected around over 55 tonnes of rubbish, all to be sent to its SELCHP Energy Recovery Facility, where the amount of recovered energy produced will generate enough power for over 170,000 televisions to watch the full parade.
Helder Branco, Senior Contract Manager for Veolia in Westminster said: “The Pride Parade is one of the most popular events of the year and we are delighted to play our part in the celebration. The waste collected from the event will be used for energy recovery, which means it is turned into a resource to power up London, rather than simply going to waste - another reason for parade goers to celebrate.”
Councillor Tim Mitchell, Cabinet Member for Environment and City Management, said: “It is Westminster’s honour to host so many great events and celebrations, such as London Pride. We also have the honour of making sure the streets are clean after these big events. With Veolia’s help we’re going to ensure the streets are as clean as they were before Pride and ready to return to business as usual.”
