As part of Executive Mayor Jason Perry’s first 100 days of his second term in office, more blitz cleans, mobile recycling centres and new community collection days have been announced as part of the council’s ongoing work to boost neighbourhood pride.
The blitz clean programme, pioneered by Croydon and since adopted by other London boroughs, will return to drive up standards and tackle problem areas, helping to ensure local and district centres are clean, welcoming, and places residents can be proud of.
Working with residents to identify priorities, the council will build on the success of previous blitz cleans by targeting issues through street cleansing, environmental enforcement, highways maintenance, licensing and trading standards. Graffiti will also be removed and local businesses provided with graffiti removal kits to help keep their premises clean.
The five areas that will be blitz cleaned next are Thornton Heath, Selhurst, Norbury, Shirley and New Addington.
Supporting the Executive Mayor’s zero-tolerance approach to antisocial behaviour and environmental crime, residents will also have more opportunities to dispose of household items responsibly through the return of pop-up mobile recycling centres across the borough.
The centres will accept a range of items, including household goods, small electrical appliances, batteries and vapes. By making it easier for people to dispose of items correctly, the initiative will help reduce fly-tipping and increase recycling.
The council will also introduce new community collection days, inspired by the rolling rubbish concept – community-focused waste collection in partnership with local residents’ associations.
Working closely with Croydon’s residents’ associations, the new service will provide residents with a convenient way to dispose of bulky household items that they may be unable to get to a household recycling centre themselves. Where possible, collected items will be reused or recycled, helping to reduce waste, divert items from landfill and prevent fly-tipping. The council will work with residents’ associations to organise and promote the scheme.
The Mayor is also working with council officers to explore ways to improve the borough’s household reuse and recycling centres, including longer opening hours and accepting trade waste.
Details of the locations and timings of the blitz cleans, mobile recycling centres and community collection days will be announced in the coming weeks.
“My first 100 days since being re-elected have been about hitting the ground running and acting on what residents have told me matters most.
“Our blitz cleans and mobile recycling centres are already making a difference. They are an important part of my zero-tolerance approach to fly-tipping, environmental crime and antisocial behaviour, and it is essential that we continue driving up standards, so every neighbourhood feels cared for and valued.
“We’re also introducing community collection days, making bulky waste collections even easier by coming to residents’ doorsteps. By working with residents’ associations and making it easier for people to dispose of items they no longer need responsibly, we can help prevent fly-tipping and support residents to do the right thing.
“Residents put their trust in me because they know Croydon is on a journey of recovery. We’ve made progress, but there is still more to do. The return of these initiatives, alongside the launch of community collection days, demonstrates our ongoing commitment to investing in our neighbourhoods, while taking a zero-tolerance approach to those who deliberately blight them. Together, we can make Croydon a cleaner, safer and healthier borough that we can all be proud to call home.”
Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon
