WORKING HARD FOR BRENT

From litter to potholes, Brent Council is working hard to take on the nagging issues on your street

A special injection patching machine was used to fill potholes in record time YOUR RUBBISH, YOUR RESPONSIBILITY Suggested by local people and organised by Brent’s Neighbourhood Managers, the community skip has been tackling illegal rubbish dumping for more than a year now. In September, it toured every ward in the borough with residents able to get rid of up to five bulky items free of charge.

More than 1,200 residents dropped over 2,600 bulky items into the skips during the tour. Staff from the council’s contractor, Veolia, helped sift through items and 4.6 tonnes of furniture, electrical items, bikes and any items in good working condition were donated to the British Heart Foundation.

The socially distanced community clean-ups were also a hit as almost 150 #LitterHeroes joined and collected 300 bags of litter between them.

What’s more, a ‘Wanted’ style campaign to track down illegal rubbish dumpers caught on CCTV is already getting results, thanks to tip-offs from residents.

TACKLING PESKY POTHOLES Bad weather means more wear and tear, but Brent’s roads are prepared for the winter thanks to clever new technology.

More than 35,000 potholes have been filled since last June. That’s the equivalent of more than five Wembley Stadium Football pitches.

Here’s how it worked…

Vehicles loaded up with smart dash-cams drove all 340 miles of Brent’s streets to map the road surface.

Artificial intelligence identified any potholes and listed them by priority.

Based on this map, a special ‘injection patching’ machine was sent out to fill the holes in record time.

Where the material is applied cold, no waste goes to landfill. This brought down the carbon footprint of these repairs – the equivalent of 700 cars being run for a year.

STREET SMILES Thanks to everyone who stuck a sun in their window or on their bin to thank the waste collection crews working throughout the pandemic. With their help, Brent has been able to keep all of its collections going without interruption since March.

Cllr Sheth and residents cleaning up using one of Brent’s community skips