The Virgin Money London Marathon, 23rd April 2017. We’re right behind you!
The 36th edition of the Virgin London Marathon takes place this Sunday, 23rd April, with an anticipated record number of 39,000 participants. With runners hoping to break records and personal bests, it will be an amazing event for participants and supporters alike.
Right behind those runners and supporters – and that little matter of all the litter created – will be Westminster City Council’s cleansing teams and key partner, Veolia.
Their marathon task will be to clean up the route as the last people crossed the finish line. The 30-strong clean-up team will set to work just after 5 pm with a personal target of completing rubbish and recycling collections within two hours. That is about the same time as it takes the elite men to complete the course.
Last year, the team collected a total of approximately 11 tonnes of rubbish, including 10,000’s of plastic water bottles. These are recycled into items such as new bottles, eco-friendly clothing or upholstery for car seats.
The City Council is very aware that the eyes of the world are on Westminster this weekend. The hard effort of organisers and participants ensures their 42 km-challenge is transformed into millions of pounds for charity. The City Council plays its part and will be delivering a swift clean-up operation and making sure that the City of Westminster will look its best again within just a couple of hours.
Learn more about our event waste management services.
Supporting central London events
The London Marathon is only one of a number of central London events that take place each year where Westminster City Council’s Commercial Waste Services team play their part in keeping London clean. If you are involved in planning such an event do drop us a line as early as possible.
Alternatively, if you’d like to support us (as we support London) by getting our team involved in your business’ waste collection and recycling, then please do get in touch using one of the buttons below.
Westminster City Council’s waste and recycling collections will run as normal throughout the Marathon weekend.
