Lewes Bonfire clean-up: 6.5 tonnes of rubbish cleared

The crew from the council's Environment First service started working at 2am yesterday (Thursday) and, using a total of five electric vans, four sweepers, a telescopic handler and a 26-tonne refuse vehicle, completed the deep clean by 7.30am, collecting an estimated 6.5 tonnes of rubbish left behind by tens of thousands of revellers.

​Councillor Wendy Maples, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Wellbeing, said: "The dedication of our bonfire clean-up crew is remarkable. They started their shift in the dead of night, ensuring that just hours after the last bonfire society procession, our town was clean and ready for business. It's hard to believe 6.5 tonnes of waste was cleared in such a short space of time. This phenomenal effort ensures the magic of Bonfire Night is quickly followed by a return to the everyday magic that is Lewes."

For the first time, all the town's pubs participated in the Green United/Lewes Town Council reusable cup scheme, which was piloted in 2023 and expanded last and this year, to drastically reduce single-use plastic litter.

​Councillor Maples added: "I'm especially delighted to see how effectively the reusable cup scheme has bedded in this year, with every pub in Lewes now onboard - a massive collective effort that makes a real difference to the clean-up."

In a long-standing tradition, the clean-up crew were welcomed to Lewes Town Hall at the end of their shift for a breakfast cooked by the Town's Mayor and served by Lewes Town Councillors.

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