You'll never guess what bulky item council workers removed in the BIG Ashfield Spring Clean

Mattresses were top of the pile of unwanted goods removed by refuse collectors after 4348 households took advantage of the free service. Sofas, fridge freezers, beds and chairs completed the top five of the most collected items.

The spring clean, which is in its third year, saw tonnes of bagged side waste collected alongside regular bin collections. One resident thanked Ashfield District Council, which is spearheading the campaign, for the 57 bags of extra waste that had been collected.

Volunteers across the district also carried out litter picks in their communities including McDonalds, Hucknall, Watnall Road Baptist Church and Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue.

The district council’s chief has praised households for supporting the clean-up.

Cllr Jason Zadrozny, leader, said “This has been by far our most successful spring clean. We have received so much positive feedback from residents, and the impact the campaign has on residents’ lives is incredible. Not only does it positively impact people’s health and wellbeing it also makes the district a cleaner, safer place to live and work.”

“Bulky waste bookings were up 35% this year, which demonstrates that more and more residents are hearing about the campaign and actively getting involved.

“We even collected a coffin from one resident, we did check it was empty first!

“I would personally like to thank all the council officers involved in delivering the campaign. Officers are continuing to work above and beyond to ensure that all bulky items are collected within three weeks of their booking date.”

Residents who still have bulky items yet to be collected should leave the items in a clear and accessible place.

Cllr Zadrozny continued “Following the success of the spring clean, I am delighted to announce we will be launching the first ever Skip into Summer in July. This will see bin wagons out across the district acting as static skips and allowing residents to get rid of even more waste.”

Full details of Skip into Summer will be announced in the coming weeks.