This week Oldham Council has approved an investment of £1.27M as part of our mission to clean up the town and the start of our Don’t Trash Oldham campaign. This money will be used to fund:

• A deep clean of every corner of the borough.
• Five new street cleaners (dandy cart operators).
• Two new fly-tipping clearance crews – four officers in each crew.
• Five new Environment Marshalls to do enforcement and work with residents
• Two new trucks to ensure street waste is picked up quicker.

When we were out campaigning prior to the elections in May, the increase in litter, fly-tipping and dumping was the issue that was raised most with us on the doorstep. It has been great that more and more people have been visiting and enjoying our green spaces over the past twelve months, but this has also coincided with an increase in litter.

Cleaning up Oldham and each neighbourhood is now a top priority for Oldham Council over the next year. We’ll have more staff in place to pick up litter, deal with fly-tipping and take action against people that think it is ok to dump their rubbish on the street. As part of the neighbourhood clean up, each area will have all streets and alleyways cleaned, focusing on each area in turn. The staff and resource for this activity is in addition to the universal service we currently have. When the deep cleaning team is coming to Royton we’ll share the details.

The ward deep clean is a one-off investment and going forward, everyone will need to play their part in keeping Royton clean. Royton has some of the best parks in Oldham and we want to ensure that they are kept clean and tidy for everyone to enjoy.

Alongside this additional investment, Royton Councillors have been advertising and carrying out much more regular litterpicks and in the autumn we will be installing new bins across the town. These will be double the size of the ones we have now.

Keeping Royton looking its best is up to all of us. With the new plans from the Council, and the fantastic work of local community members getting out to do their bit, there’s no reason Royton can’t be cleaner and tidier than ever!