Hidden work that makes sure Wollongong looks spick and span

You’ll have to get up before the sun rises to catch many of our City Cleansing crews in action!

In fact, many residents might be surprised to learn just how much work is involved in keeping our parks, beaches and foreshore areas clean and tidy not only in the hours before sunrise, but right across the day.

With only a few days to go until over 1000 of the world’s best elite cyclists descend on Wollongong for the 2022 UCI Road World Championships, we’re picking up the pace to make sure Wollongong is looking its very best.

We’ve scheduled teams to be out early right across the week doing the often-unseen work that helps Wollongong look its best. The boosted schedule is in line with what we’d ordinarily do during the peak summer season when our residents and visitors are out and about enjoying our parks, beaches and other public spaces.

“Each day our Mobile Toilet Cleaning crews travel up and down the coast to clean about 50 public toilets, many of which are done before 7am. Over in the Wollongong CBD, our City Centre Presentation crews work to ensure that our city is tidy and looking good for people to enjoy,” Wollongong City Council General Manager Greg Doyle said.

“Our City Cleansing crews empty up to 500 bins in public spaces like at our popular beaches, parks and playgrounds every day. During the 2022 UCI Road World Championships, we’re increasing the scheduled cleaning shifts to meet an expected increase in demand from our community and visitors.

“With an estimated 300,000 visitors across the event’s nine days and a global broadcast audience of 300 million, we want to make sure Wollongong’s beauty shines through.

“During a usual week, our Road Sweeping Operations crew work through the night and day to sweep our streets, Crown Street Mall and our cycleways to remove debris and litter. It’s an important job that helps the city stay clean and keep our stormwater system clear.

“There’s so much work that happens every day to ensure that our public spaces are maintained, especially as we get ready for the biggest international event to ever land on Wollongong’s doorstep.”

As we head into the 2022 UCI Road World Championships, and after that the busy summer season, we expect demand on our public spaces and facilities to increase, Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM said.

“I’d like to encourage residents and visitors to Wollongong to do their part by disposing of recyclables and rubbish in the appropriate bins provided and treating public spaces respectfully. We rely on the support of our community to ensure that Wollongong is clean and tidy for everyone to enjoy,” Cr Bradbery said.

“As the numbers of people out and about in Wollongong increases over the next week, we also ask for your patience, support and understanding. Our crews are extremely proud of the work they do to make our city a beautiful place to live, and we’ll continue to do our best to ensure your next visit is a pleasant one.

“We ask everyone to do their bit to keep our city clean and functional. Thank you to those who continue to give us a hand, by helping to take your rubbish home with you. It’s a busy period and we appreciate our community’s support through this busy period.”

Some of the work we do each day

  • Empty up to 1000 bins in public spaces
  • Travel throughout the Local Government Area to clean 100 public toilets
  • Sweep kilometres of streets, shared paths and the Crown Street Mall to remove debris and litter
  • Pick up litter, clean graffiti and tidy-up public spaces.

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