Get to Know Our Projects: The Clean & Green Team

What Is It? 

Following the establishment of the Business Improvement District (BID) St Andrews, a team was established to work for the enhancement of the town. St Andrews’ Environmental Network would deliver the service for BID – which is the project that is now known as the Clean and Green Team! 

It was formally established on October the 3^rd 2016, and is an initiative designed with the aim of reducing the waste produced in St Andrews’ town centre and keeping the town clean, tidy and sustainable. Its goals include enhancing the aesthetics of the town, encouraging tourism and assisting local businesses.  

The team is currently made up of Dave and Rory, and is supported by Paul a couple days a week. 

What They Do  

The Clean and Green Team works with local businesses and the council to improve services around the town and supplementing the existing services they deliver. 

The team conduct regular inspections, identifying and troubleshooting problems where they arise and working on implementing potential solutions where possible. They also carry out cleanups of the beaches, embankment and harbour five days a week.   

The Clean and Green team assist with various issues related to sanitation around the town centre including the reporting and removal of graffiti, implementing waste management solutions around bin storage and resolving problems related to various kinds of vermin. In 2020, following a grant from the Community Trust, the team received a bubble-gum removal machine, which has led to a marked improvement in the state of the pavements in the area.  

The team works with St Andrews in Bloom to deliver the various floral displays around the town and harbour areas during the Summer season. They are also on hand to assist with the logistics of large town events such as the St Andrews Day celebrations and the Harbour Gala Day.  

Waste  

As mentioned, Waste Management is one of the main areas of concern for the Clean and Green Team, particularly regarding supplementing and bolstering the existing waste management infrastructure around the town. As a result of the team’s research, in January 2017, a Big Belly Bin was installed in St Andrews’ Market Street to cope with the large volume of waste in the area. The bin proved to be a success, resulting in a reduction in waste. Consequently, the council has since integrated multiple units throughout the town to resolve high concentrations of waste in certain hotspot areas.  

Community Clean-Ups 

In 2019, as part of the Towards a Plastic Free St Andrews project, the team began organising community cleanups in collaboration with the local community. They worked with the locals to identify areas that could benefit from a litter-pick and encouraged them to get involved and assist. This has been very successful and has resulted in large amounts of waste being cleared from the town. This also includes efforts to prevent refuse from polluting the waterways and impacting the environment. In addition to leading clean ups themselves, the team also facilitates community groups to carry out litter-picks independently by permanently donating equipment to them.  

The Clean and Green Truck 

In 2019, the team received funding from Fife Council and the St Andrews Community Trust to upgrade their truck. The truck allows them to assist various groups across St Andrews, including the St Andrews Men’s Shed and St Andrews in Bloom, as well as being a organise their various community cleanups around the town and its beaches. It has proven incredibly useful for their daily tasks, and the van can regularly be spotted all around town. 

This was only a brief overview of some of the important work that the team do everyday. 

A big thank you goes out to Dave, Rory and Paul for all their hard work towards keeping St Andrews Clean and Green all year round!