As Mardi Gras revellers called it a night, clean up crews stepped in to clear the parade route

As one of Sydney’s biggest events wrapped up, clean-up crews stepped in to clear the parade route of costume and party debris.

As revellers partied into the night after Saturday’s Mardi Gras parade, clean-up crews were quick to get to work along Oxford Street in inner Sydney.

Small rainbow flags and overflowing bins lined the 2km long parade route on Sunday morning following an evening of confetti and glitter-filled celebrations.

With bins lining the street inexplicably chained shut, gutters were filled with rubbish on Sunday morning. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

Among the rubbish discarded were remnants of the previous nights celebrations. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

Rubbish left by Mardi Gras revellers lay scattered on the ground at Durlingust : Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

Crews spend only a few hours after the parade ends to turn the route back into a functioning road for Sydney commuters.

“At the end of the night, when the final float has stopped and the last confetti canon has fired, it takes just four hours for clean-up crews to transform the Golden Mile back into a functioning road,” a speaker at the parade’s opening said.

But the sidewalks are a different story, with piles of garbage bags stacked outside pubs, rubbish and bottles strewn around and stacks of trash heaped up next to bins.

Confetti canons left thousands of pieces of rubbish needing to be cleaned up. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

The Midest Golden Glams pictured as they arrive at Hyde Park for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade 2024. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Clover Moore at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Rubbish left by Mardi Gras revellers lay scattered on the ground after celebrations. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

Clean up crews were spotted early on Sunday morning still continuing to clean up the remnants of the parade, with workers sweeping up the last of colourful costume debris and bags of rubbish littered down the sidewalks.

A City of Sydney spokesperson said detailed cleaning took place “prior to the parade, during the event, and after the event,” in an operation that is similar to the way other major events are managed.

“The City also engaged agency staff and contractors to support manual street sweeping, maintenance of street litter bins, and waste management,” they said.

“The post-event clean-up started at 8.45pm on Saturday and was completed at 6am on Sunday morning. Our cleansing team also moved in and commenced cleaning immediately behind the final parade float.”

The spokesperson said an estimated 19 tonnes of waste was collected with a crew of 55 involved with clean up efforts, on top of the regular night-time cleaning crew.

Clean up efforts to manage post-parade celebrations will continue throughout the day.

In an effort to ensure the festivities are as eco-friendly as possible, festival organisers reminded participants and spectators of the ban on glitter ahead of the parade but noted biodegradable glitter is the perfect alternative.

“Glitter and confetti are microplastics and flow from the streets into our waterways. Instead, use biodegradable glitter and confetti. It helps to do your research because there are some ‘biodegradable’ products that do not biodegrade in nature,” the events website said.

NSW Police said an estimated 120,000 spectators and 12,500 participants attended the annual event.

Bins were left overflowing after Saturday night’s celebrations. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

Dozens of rubbish bags were left on the sidewalk as they awaited collection. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone