We’re dedicated to improving the cleanliness of our streets and have allocated funding to two key services to address the needs of our community.

Programmed street tree maintenance

We’re improving street tree maintenance with a new scheduled under-pruning program, designed to keep our streets clean and tidy. The program includes:

• Mapping all Council street trees
• Developing a Tree Works Prioritization Framework to guide our efforts  
• Clearing the backlog of maintenance requests  
• Creating a regular tree maintenance schedule  
• Launching the program according to the framework and schedule  

This initiative is part of our ongoing commitment to creating a great city we love, where our community enjoys well-maintained, beautiful streets.

Programmed drainage and pit cleaning  

We’re rolling out a new programmed cleaning scheduled for the 30,000 drains across our city to help keep our streets and waterways cleaner. This initiative is designed to enhance the overall cleanliness of our city whilst also preventing blockages and reduce flooding risks.  

City Presentation Program – new Place Improvement team

We've set up a new team dedicated to improving the look and feel of our 31 town centres, with a focus on keeping them clean and well-maintained. You'll find staff out and about, ensuring the streets, laneways, parks and car parks are tidy, chatting with local businesses to understand their needs, and working with other teams to boost our standards. Our goal is to make our centres look and feel loved.

Street bin management 

Partnering with local businesses to encourage them to use their own bins, reducing the overflow in public bins and keeping our streets cleaner.

Litter removal efficiency 

We've identified litter hotspots so our cleaning teams can focus their efforts where they’re needed most, ensuring cleaner streets. We’re also expanding the trial of electric litter vacuums in more town centres.

Street furniture upkeep 

We’re making sure that seats, tables, and other street furniture are in good condition, enhancing the comfort and appearance of our public spaces.

Tackling illegal dumping 

We're stepping up enforcement efforts to combat illegal dumping in our town centers. At the same time, we're rapidly removing dumped rubbish from laneways, car parks, and footpaths to prevent further incidents.

Shopping trolley management

We are working closely with retailers to ensure that abandoned shopping trolleys are collected promptly from our streets

Garden bed maintenance 

We’re mapping all garden beds and plant types in our town centres to streamline maintenance, ensuring our gardens stay beautiful year-round.

Street tree management 

We're on track to replacing missing street trees in our town centres, creating greener, more inviting spaces. 

We’re actively partnering with local businesses and community members to gain a deeper understanding of their needs and priorities, all aimed at enhancing the look and feel of our town centers. We’ve implemented both formal and informal engagement initiatives to ensure that the voices of local businesses and community members are heard.

In 2023, we connected with 1,200 local business workers and 550 community members through surveys and face-to-face sessions, gathering valuable insights that are guiding our future service enhancements. This engagement has identified key areas for improvement, which we are now addressing.

Top three improvements identified in 2023:

1. Improve overall cleanliness
2. Enhance the cleanliness of pavements
3. Better management of street bins

We're committed to focusing on what matters most to our community, and that's why we're actively tracking our progress through our new community engagement initiatives. To understand where we can make the biggest impact, we've been gathering valuable feedback directly from local businesses and community members.

Place Score 2023  

We've established a baseline Community Place Score for each town centre, rated by local businesses and residents. This score will guide us in monitoring our progress and ensuring that our improvements align with community expectations.

2023/24 Community Place Score for Town Centres: 2.71 out of 5 

Street bin improvement  

We've recently upgraded 94 bin hoods across eight town centres to make waste disposal easier and more convenient. The new designs are accessible from all sides and feature wider openings, making it simpler to dispose of common items like coffee cups and pizza boxes.

Owner of George’s Takeaway in Padstow,  Mel Hatzi, was pleased to see a new bin installed right outside his shop. Running his family business in the same spot for nearly 55 years, Mr Hatzi had watched Padstow grow over the years.  

“I came here in 1984 from Greece and this was my first job,” Mr Hatzi said. “I love it here because it’s nice and quiet.” 

For Mr Hatzi, the shiny new bins are a welcome addition.  

“People used to put their rubbish outside the bin; Sometimes I’d come in the morning and people would have left boxes next to the bins,” Mr Hatzi said. “The new bins are bigger, so we don’t have that issue anymore. The area feels much tidier!”  

Street bin replacement 

We've recently upgraded 25 street bins in Padstow Local Centre to the standard design, making it easier for everyone to dispose of waste properly. The new bins are designed for convenience, helping to reduce litter and enhance the overall cleanliness of the town centre.

Street furniture improvement  

The display boards in the Campsie Town Centre have been replaced.  

An audit of community display boards across our town centres identified areas for improvement. It was determined that the display boards in Campsie Town Centre had reached the end of their lifespan and required replacement. Thanks to SRV funding, these boards have been upgraded. This enhancement will contribute to improving the condition of our aging assets whilst also continuing to keep the community updated and informed.