Environmental services
Cleaning and caretaking
Our caretakers look after communal shared areas and keep them clean and safe for residents and their visitors. With over 150 caretakers working across our estates, we are committed to maintaining high standards in your community.
Caretaker responsibilities
Our caretakers take care of a wide range of tasks, including:
- cleaning shared spaces like lifts, lobbies, and entrances
- sweeping all hard surfaces around the building
- changing lightbulbs and reporting necessary repairs
- reporting anti-social behaviour, such as vandalism or rough sleeping
- removing graffiti (offensive within 24 hours, non-offensive within five working days)
- carrying out monthly fire safety checks
- clearing weeds and leaves from communal areas
- unblocking bin chutes and reporting dumped waste or flytipping
- gritting footpaths and entrances during icy weather.
For urgent safety issues, we have a dedicated mobile team on call 24/7. Our caretakers are easy to spot in their uniforms and high-visibility vests. Feel free to say hello and talk to them about any any cleaning concerns. They work Monday to Friday, from 8am to 4pm.
Cleaning schedule
Daily tasks (Monday to Friday):
- Health and safety checks of all internal/external communal areas and spot clean if needed
- Sweep and mop lift floors
- Place illegally dumped bulky items at collection points
- Clean bin areas following collections
- Check waste chutes for blockages
- Sweep and mop all lobbies and entrances to blocks with lifts
- Litter pick external areas
- Check litter bins and empty when required
- Visual inspection of play areas
Weekly tasks
- Sweep and mop all lobbies and entrances to blocks without lifts, at least twice
- Sweep and mop all internal staircases
- Clean lift cars including walls, doors and button panels
- Clean high touch points including communal intercoms and handrails
- Check internal communal lights and replace faulty bulbs
- Remove cobwebs, when required
- Spot clean internal corridors
- Sweep external communal areas (more often if required)
- Clean chute rooms and bin chambers
Monthly tasks
- Sweep or mop open communal landings
- Sweep and mop internal corridors
- Clean chute hoppers
- Clean handrails
- Clean entry doors (more often if required)
- Spot clean walls and ceilings
- Complete fire safety checks
Annual tasks
- Wash communal doors, accessible signage
- Wash accessible parts of communal windows
When required we will:
- Deep clean communal areas including internal wall washing
- Clean lift trackers
- Clean light diffusers
- Report repairs and anti-social behaviour
- Remove weeds
- Remove estate agent signs
- Remove graffiti; offensive graffiti will be removed - within one working day
- Seasonal works such as: gritting for ice, snow and leaf clearances
You can also download a copy of our cleaning schedule.
During evenings and weekends
Our caretakers work from 8am to 4pm on weekdays. For any health and safety issues outside of these hours including weekends please contact us on 020 7364 5015 and we will send our mobile response team.
For further information regarding caretaking please contact us on 020 7364 0592 or email estate.services@towerhamlets.gov.uk.
The above schedule is a guide and does not apply fully to all blocks. It is also subject to change in case of unforeseen circumstances.
How you can help
- Please respect the communal areas of our estates.
- Always dispose of rubbish correctly and recycle as much as possible. More information can be found on the Recycling and waste page.
- If you spot a cleaning issue or graffiti, report it using our MyHome online form or call us at 020 7364 5015.
- To report waste missed collection complete the online form or contact us at 020 7364 5000.
Gardening
Our dedicated gardening team looks after all communal green areas of our estates.
They cut over 380,000 square metres of lawns and maintain over 60,000 square metres of flower beds. Our gardening team works on a scheduled programme visiting every area several times per year.
They perform maintenance tasks according to the season and specific requirements of each site.
Gardening responsibilities
Grass maintenance
We cut grass from March to October, with schedules adjusted for periods of extreme weather.
Grass clippings are left on the lawns to reduce waste and return nutrients to the soil, while verges are cleaned up after every cut.
Our team also trims around flower bulbs and removes bulb foliage once it has faded. Leaf clearing, edging, and reseeding are done as needed to keep our estates looking their best.
Shrub and rose maintenance
We take care of shrubs and roses with regular pruning and shaping in both summer and winter. This ensures safety while keeping everything in line with good horticultural practices.
Winter tasks
- Pruning shrubs and roses
- Cultivating flower beds
- Weeding and edging flower beds
- Removing dead or diseased plants
- Clearing unwanted growth around tree trunks
- Gapping up exisiting beds and new planting
Summer tasks
- Deadheading roses
- Light trimming of hedges
- Spot weeding and weed-killing
- Removing damaged or diseased plants
Bulb planting
We plant thousands of spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and crocuses across our estates. These colourful blooms help boost biodiversity and provide early nectar for insects.
Wildflower meadows
To further support local wildlife, we create wildflower areas across our estates. These meadows offer vibrant colours throughout the growing season and provide a vital habitat for bees, butterflies, and other creatures.
Japanese knotweed
We take the risk of Japanese knotweed infestation seriously and treat it from March to October using the latest methods. This invasive plant can damage property and natural ecosystems, so controlling it is essential.
How you can help
Please respect shared garden spaces by cleaning up after your pets and disposing of litter in the bins provided.
Trees on estates
Trees play an important role in cities and improve our quality of life in many different ways. They provide many environmental, social, health, and economic benefits.
We manage and care for over 5,000 trees on our estates. Our goal is to care for and protect trees to ensure they are safe and healthy. We also want to increase the number and variety of trees on our estates. A skilled contractor carries out all our tree work.
Tree management
Trees are often a topic of debate - some people want them trimmed, while others prefer they stay untouched. We base our tree work on professional surveys, which help guide our plans and manage risks and budgets effectively.
Our tree program runs on a 3–5-year cycle. During each cycle, a specialist contractor surveys all our communal trees, and we complete any necessary work within five years based on priority. We also maintain a digital map and record of every estate tree, which is regularly updated.
We arrange urgent work if a tree poses a danger, such as:
- Tree is snapped or blown over
- Tree is rocking due to damaged roots
- Tree is uprooted but held up by another tree or building
- Large branch has broken off or is hanging from the tree
- Tree or branch is blocking the road or footpath
- Tree or branch is blocking access to property
- Tree has fallen onto a house or car
Signs that a tree may be a risk to people or property (but does not require an emergency response) include:
- Tree is dead
- Tree is dying, showing few leaves in summer or dieback in the crown
- Bark is loose and falling off
- Mushrooms or fungi are growing on or near the tree
- Old splits and cracks in the trunk or large branches
- Smaller branches or twigs are falling from the tree
Other reasons for tree inspection and/or work include:
- Diseased trees, such as those affected by Massaria
- Oak trees infested with caterpillars
- Trees touching a structure
- Street light obstruction
- Traffic sign obstruction
- Trees associated with crime or anti-social behaviour
- Trip hazards
We do not carry out work for reasons such as:
- Bird droppings
- Blocking of light
- Blocking of views
- Shedding leaves or blossoms
- Production of sap
- Shedding fruits, berries, or nuts
- Poor TV or satellite reception (unless affecting communal aerial)
- Personal medical complaints
- Trees overhanging property
- Wild animals or insects
- Trees considered too big or too tall
Our tree programme includes:
- Regular inspection of all estate trees
- Pruning
- Felling
- Planting of new trees and orchards
- Emergency tree works
- Prevention measures to deal with known diseases
Programmed tree planting
We have an annual tree planting program that includes all council-owned land and is not restricted to street tree planting. If you are aware of any empty tree pits or would like to suggest a new site for planting, please let us know by contacting us on 020 7364 0592 or sending email to estate.services@towerhamlets.gov.uk.
Privately owned trees
Trees on private property may be subject to Tree Preservation Orders or are protected as part of a conservation area.
Before carrying out any work on a tree, always contact the council's development team. For more advice for private tree owners, visit the Planning Services' Tree Management page.
If you have any queries regarding trees in the parks or on the highways, please contact Parks and Open Spaces.
Response Team
Our Response Team supports caretakers and manages drainage issues during both regular hours and emergency situations. They offer essential backup when caretakers are absent or when additional help is needed.
Main tasks
- Covering for caretakers when they are away
- Responding to emergency cleaning needs
- Handling areas with high levels of anti-social behaviour
- Removing graffiti and bulky items
- Jet-washing paving and external walls
The team also deals with internal and external blockages, which include:
- Blockages in kitchens, sinks, baths washbasins and toilets
- Clearing blockages in communal areas, like landing gullies and stack pipes
- Clearing blockages in main drainage and rainwater systems
- Repairing backsurge to properties and utilities
- Using CCTV to inspect stacks pipes and drainage systems
- Drying up flooded areas from backsurge to utilities
- Repairing or replacing manhole and gully covers
- Regular cleaning of drainage system
To report blocked sink, bath or toilet please contact us on 020 7364 5015.
Household waste and recycling
For collection times or to report a missed collection, check the online waste collection schedule or call 020 7364 5000.
We are committed to recycling as much as possible. To find out what items can be recycled and what cannot please visit our recycling page.
Disposing of large items
There are several ways to dispose of your large items safely. Find out more about bulky waste.
Lithium battery fires
Did you know lithium batteries can cause fires in rubbish trucks? Please do not put them in your waste or recycling bins. Instead, take them to the Reuse and Recycling Centre at Northumberland Wharf for safe disposal.