Keeping Chelmsford clean

Chelmsford is filled with some beautiful locations and green, open spaces.

Unfortunately, in every city, there are challenges with litter and vandalism. Chelmsford is no different. But we are determined to do all we can to keep the city clean, and we want to shed light on what we are doing and show how you can get involved, too. From borrowing litter-picking equipment, to joining our community events, there are many ways you can help out. Keep reading to find out more!

Our rivers

The Rivers Chelmer and Can run through the heart of our city. They provide homes for an abundance of wildlife and also add to the beauty of Chelmsford. Often, the river collects unwanted items such as bicycles, litter, plastic waste and even trolleys. This is worrying as this can harm habitats, shelters and wildlife.

However, this is something we can all help to combat and change. The video below is about the river clean-up events that Love Your Chelmsford organises twice a year. They get the community involved with removing waste from our much-loved rivers.

Picking up litter

Not only is litter ugly, it’s also harmful and unsafe for wildlife. There are many forms of littering and that includes things like chewing gum on pavements, throwing fast-food packets out of cars when finished with it and also leaving plastic bottles, cans, wrappers and more in our lovely parks or streets. Chelmsford City Council holds plenty of litter picks at the requests of residents. Parish councils, scout groups and the Co-Operative also organise litter picks too. 

Did you know that you can also loan litter equipment from the City Council? If you feel you see a lot of unwanted litter about, you can help us collect it by requesting equipment to loan. You can keep this equipment for 14 days at a time for free – this could be perfect for when walking your dog or when strolling around Chelmsford at the weekend with family and friends.

We also encourage resident, community groups, schools, and businesses to volunteer in projects such as tree planting and litter picking. Find out more here: https://loveyourchelmsford.co.uk/volunteer/

Bin collections and street cleaning

Throughout the pandemic, the Council’s Bins and Recycling Team have worked tirelessly to ensure that your bins still got collected. Remember, if they ever do miss your bins for any reason, please report a missed collection within 24 hours.

Members of the Street Care Team also empty the bins in public spaces every week, or daily in busier parks. This helps keep the locations and clean and useable as possible. The team also take care to pick up litter when mowing the grass and maintaining the shrub beds. The teams at Chelmsford City Council do as much as they can to keep Chelmsford clean and tidy but need more eyes to spot things they may have missed. If you notice any mess in a public area or any street related problems, you can report litter to the team directly.

Creating art on Chelmsford’s streets

Have you ever walked through an underpass in Chelmsford and noticed the bright and colourful designs on the walls? Well, this is specifically designed to help remove the unpleasant graffiti and gives space for local artists to express themselves. This is also done to make public walkways feel safer and more attractive. If you’re a local artist who is looking for a project, then you can get in contact with the team for artistic opportunities.

For more greener Chelmsford ideas, visit the Love Your Chelmsford website.