Spring Clean 2026: the numbers are in

The Westside Spring Clean took place across two days in late March, and the results were genuinely impressive. Eighty-three volunteers — from BID member businesses, local schools, Birmingham City Council and the general public — gave their time to help tidy up the streets, back lanes and green spaces across the Westside area.

What we collected

Across both days, volunteers filled 148 bin bags of general waste and separated out a further 23 bags of recyclable material. Bulkier items collected included six abandoned bikes, a settee found wedged behind a substation off Gas Street Basin, and what appeared to be a significant quantity of promotional flyers from a venue that has since closed.

The stretch of back lane running behind Broad Street between Ryland Street and Sheepcote Street was identified beforehand as a priority area, and it showed — that section alone accounted for nearly a third of the total volume collected.

Before and after

Our BID Rangers photographed twenty specific hotspot locations before and after the clean-up. Nineteen of the twenty showed a marked improvement. The twentieth was, frankly, already quite tidy — which is a good problem to have.

Thank you

A particular thank you to Brindleyplace management for co-ordinating volunteer sign-ups from estate tenants, and to the team at Punch Bowl Social for providing refreshments at the midday break on day two.

We are already planning the autumn edition. If your business would like to get involved — whether by sending a team along or by sponsoring refreshments — get in touch and we will add you to the mailing list.