£460,000 to Make Sunderland a Cleaner City

An extra £460,000 is set to be invested in making Sunderland a cleaner and greener city.

Sunderland City Council plan to use this cash to put more environmental officers on the ground, bring in specialist cleaning equipment, and do more to enforce litter laws and tackle problems with waste storage.

A key feature of the new approach will be the introduction of an overnight cleansing programme in the city centre. This will involve scrubbing and hot washing to get rid of stains, chewing gum build-ups and graffiti.

Bins and street furniture will also be washed to banish bad smells and grime.

In addition, the new scheme will see a crackdown on how businesses deal with their waste. Companies will be urged to manage their refuse more responsibly and will face enforcement action if they fail to do this.

The council would also like to spruce up the appearance of several key gateways into Sunderland. Work has already started on improvements at Harbour View and Roker and on the A690 Durham Road opposite the Royal Courts.

Sunderland City Council’s portfolio holder for environment and transport, Cllr Amy Wilson, said, “The £460,000 on top of the additional previous investment in frontline environmental services last year is further evidence of our commitment to a green and clean city in the face of ongoing government cuts.”

“This is very much in response to local residents who have told us that they want to see more investment being put into frontline services like street cleaning and tackling littering and fly-tipping.”

“It’s also about creating a cleaner and more attractive city centre and neighbourhoods. And it’s about taking action against those who litter our streets and think they have no responsibility for helping look after the environment.”

“Our environmental services team work very hard 365 days a year keeping our streets clean and looking after our award-winning parks and seafront.”

“But we all have a responsibility to look after our environment, whether that’s putting our waste in the nearest litter bin when we’re out and about, disposing of chewing gum properly or putting our rubbish out on the right day.”

“It’s only by all of us working together that we can hope to make a real difference to the communities we live in.”

(Featured image courtesy of ..Russ.. from Flickr Creative Commons)