More than eight tonnes of waste cleared in Swindon's Big Town Centre Clean-Up

Swindon Borough Council published the results of its Big Town Centre Clean-Up on Wednesday 2 September 2026: more than eight tonnes of litter, overgrown vegetation and fly-tipped waste removed from the town centre during August.

What did volunteers do?

More than 250 volunteers took part in 11 clean-up sessions. They:

• picked litter across the town centre
• cleared weeds and fly-tipped waste from the path between Brunel North car park and Wharf Green, and from roads and alleys off Crombey Street
• sanded and varnished benches in Wharf Green and along Canal Walk
• refurbished planters in Wharf Green and Theatre Square
• removed graffiti from the fountain sculpture at Regent Street and Canal Walk and from the glazing of the former Tented Market

A British Gas team spent two days clearing the equivalent of 20 Ford Transit van loads of building waste from inside the Tented Market building. Teams from Zurich, UK Shared Business Services, The Brunel Shopping Centre, Penshurst Construction, TSS Total Security Services and Whitecroft Scaffolding & Construction also volunteered. Three Community Payback sessions were run with the Probation Service.

What did the council do?

• Jet-washed pedestrianised areas
• Removed graffiti from council property
• Had the Golden Lion statue on Bridge Street specially cleaned
• Repaired root-damaged paving, removed redundant tree grilles and put in new planters at Wharf Green
• Took down obsolete lighting from trees in Havelock Square and Wharf Green, and old overhead lighting and bunting in Theatre Square

Councillor Kevin Parry, Cabinet Member for Recycling and Streetscene, said: "The Big Town Centre Clean-Up has made a real and visible difference to the appearance of our town centre."

Source: Swindon Borough Council.