Residents of Barking and Dagenham enjoyed a fun day out as the council hosted an eco-fair on Saturday, rounding up an action-packed week as it celebrated the Great Big Green Week and launched the fourth phase of its Cleaner, Greener campaign.

The event offered residents the opportunity to take part in fun activities to learn more about sustainability and benefit from freebies like compost bins and bicycle repairs.

Stallholders offered advice on active travel, air quality, community energy, food growing and local produce and helping wildlife. The council’s Waste Minimisation Team were also on hand to support residents to reduce, reuse and recycle waste.

The east London council’s campaign activity also included:

• launching a brand new A to Z guide to waste and recycling on their website last week, to support residents to manage their waste correctly
• inviting residents to take part in a short quiz to test their knowledge of the borough’s waste and recycling services for the chance to win a £25 supermarket voucher
• encouraging residents to sign up to the Friends of Parks initiative, where the council’s Citizen Alliance Network Team works with local people to improve parks and host community events.

Councillor Kashif Haroon, Cabinet Member for Public Realm & Climate Change, Councillor Saima Ashraf, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Leadership & Engagement, and Councillor Syed Ghani, Cabinet Member for Community Safety & Enforcement, are part of a working group driving the campaign. The councillors attended the eco-fair on Saturday.

Councillor Haroon commented: “We’re asking everyone to play their part to help make the borough cleaner and greener, and we’re committed to making sure that they have the information they need.

“Attending this event in one of our borough’s beautiful green spaces is a reminder of what we’re fighting to preserve for future generations.

“Please visit our website to find out more about the quick and easy things we’re asking you to do to help.”