Find out when we clean main roads
Clearing litter
We clear litter on stretches of the A3, A31 and A331. Each road has a different litter picking schedule.
Four major roads go through the borough. The M25 enters the borough at Wisley at its junction with the A3. The A3 runs from north to south through the borough and provides road links to both London and the south coast. The A31 runs along the top of the Hog's Back. It joins with the A331 Blackwater Valley road at the western end of the borough.
All three roads are high speed and have health and safety issues, which have been risk assessed. A programme is in place to ensure the safety of staff and motorists.
We work together with Surrey County Council and the Highways Agency.
We use planned traffic management and lane closures.
A3
We clear litter on the A3 between the Ripley turn-off at the junction with the B2039 along to Milford. The Department for transport clear litter north from the Ripley junction to the borough boundary.
The cleaning takes place on a scheduled basis. We cover the whole length twice a year. The central reservation is cleaned as part of these planned mobile closures. This operation takes place at night to minimise disruption to motorists.
The A3 is only cleaned with traffic management in place. Regular litter picking and bin emptying is scheduled for lay-bys.
Planned litter clearing dates
- Monday 10 July to Thursday 13 July 2023 (4 nights)
- Monday 4 September to Thursday 7 September 2023 (4 nights)
- Monday 16 October to Thursday 19 October 2023 (4 nights)
Completed litter clearing
Monday 22 May to Thursday 25 May 2023 (4 nights)
We collected:
- 1,060kg of litter
- Our sweeper collected 5,900kg of detritus
Monday 17 April to Thursday 20 April 2023 (4 nights)
We collected:
- 1,280kg of litter
- Our sweeper collected 5,260kg of detritus
Monday 27 February to Thursday 2 March 2023 (4 nights)
We collected:
- 1,460kg of litter
- Our sweeper collected 11,060kg of detritus
Monday 17 October 2022 to Wednesday 19 October 2022 (3 nights)
The planned closure on Thursday 20 October was cancelled. This was due to poor weather.
We collected:
- 1,120kg of litter
- Our sweeper collected 10,380kg of detritus
A31 Hogs back
We clear litter on the A31 from Guildford to the junction with the A331. We can only litter pick with traffic management in place. Litter picking is scheduled around three to four times a year with Surrey County Council We may arrange other closures if necessary.
The roadside verges are cut twice a year.
Planned litter clearing dates
- Monday 12 June and Tuesday 13 June 2023
- Monday 26 June and Tuesday 27 June 2023
- Monday 10 July 2023
Completed litter clearing
Wednesday 15 February to Friday 17 February 2023
We collected:
- 1,000kg of litter
- Our sweeper collected 17,360kg of detritus.
The totals above are combined with litter clearing on the A331 in February 2023.
A331 Blackwater Valley Road
We litter pick part of the A331. This is from the junction with the A31 up to the Basingstoke Canal aqueduct. We can only litter pick with traffic management in place. This takes place three to four times a year with Surrey County Council. We may arrange more closures if needed.
The roadside verges are cut twice a year.
Planned litter clearing dates
- Wednesday 7 June and Thursday 8 June 2023
Completed litter clearing
Monday 13 February to Tuesday 14 February 2023
We collected:
- 1,000kg of litter
- Our sweeper collected 17,360kg of detritus.
The totals above are combined with litter clearing on the A31 in February 2023.
Slip Roads
Slip road cleaning will take place as part of the main lane closures for the A3, A31 and A331.
Education and enforcement
Littering by motorists is an ongoing problem. We aim to reduce this through our education campaigns. We are working with Surrey County Council and other companies to address this issue.
All major roads in Guildford are patrolled by council staff. Action is taken against those who litter, with a view to prosecution.