This year, a whopping 290 tonnes of rubbish are estimated to have been cleared from the streets of Notting Hill after the annual Carnival.

SUEZ, The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea's recycling and waste management contractors, employed over 200 people to work into the early hours of Monday (August 31) and Tuesday (September 1) in an operation involving more than 30 refuse trucks and mechanical sweepers. The team also used a large motorway vehicle to wash down the roads.

The clean-up finished at approximately 3am on Tuesday (September 1).

Chief executive officer of the Recycling and Recovery UK division at SUEZ, David Palmer-Jones, said: "The Notting Hill Carnival is one of Europe's biggest street parties, but like any good party, when it's finished, there's a lot of tidying up to do.

"In fact, SUEZ has swept up rubbish with the equivalent weight of over 25 double-decker buses over the bank holiday, all of which we will look to put to the best use possible.

"Hundreds of tonnes of waste is thrown-away over the weekend but none of it will go to landfill as we, working in partnership with Kensington & Chelsea, and with the help of the ever-greener generation of Notting Hill revellers, look to recycle more than ever before."

This year, there was a strong focus on recycling, with the council encouraging Carnival-goers to recycle with tin and plastic exchange stations and 'Gum Drop' boards for people to dispose of their chewing gum.

In addition, SUEZ ran a joint initiative with Alupro 'Every Can Counts' and council officers to encourage visitors to recycle their drinking cans. Every five empty cans delivered to the recycling point could be exchanged for a free soft drink. This scheme generated five large containers of clean recycling.

According to SUEZ, 100 tonnes of rubbish will generate 70 MW of electrical power, which is enough to power around 15 homes for a year. This means that the 290 tonnes of Notting Hill Carnival rubbish (203 MW) could power a whopping 43.5 homes for a year!

Have a look at all the fun of the Carnival with our photo gallery!