Dedicated waste collection and overnight cleansing arrangements will support Belfast city centre during Comhaltas Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, with large crowds expected across the week.

With more than 800,000 visitors anticipated, Belfast City Council has outlined a package of measures to keep streets free of litter and waste throughout the event.

Many central roads will be closed to general traffic from 5am on Sunday 2 August until 7am on Monday 10 August, creating a safe pedestrianised area for eight days of music and activity across streets and venues. Buses will continue to operate around the zone, but wider vehicle access will be restricted. Business deliveries and commercial waste collections will move to an early access window between 4am and 8am during the event.

In place of the usual street bins, 40 on-street recycling stations will be introduced for mixed dry recycling, food waste and general waste, alongside an extra 200 general waste bins at key high-footfall locations. Volunteers will help direct eventgoers to their nearest bin station.

Ten dedicated bin hubs across the city centre will support operatives to clear containers as they fill during the day, with rubbish collected overnight and taken away for recycling. To maintain safety during the day, heavy service vehicles will operate through the night to clean and clear the pedestrianised zone ahead of each day's programme.

Night-time cleansing crews will work from 11pm to 7am using enhanced resources and co-ordinated routes to ensure the area is refreshed for the next day's events. Commercial waste providers serving licensed premises and other venues must complete collections within the early morning window, following specific access routes to align with the council's schedule and minimise spills and leaks.

Where required, an early morning power-wash will complete the overnight cleansing programme. The council's own commercial waste collections will run between 2am and 6am on the morning after the usual collection day from Monday 3 to Saturday 8 August, with normal service resuming on Monday 10 August.

A small number of residents living inside the event zone will see changes to their arrangements; further details are available at belfastcity.gov.uk/fleadh. Outside the city centre, all household and commercial waste collections will continue as normal. Residents are reminded to present their bins correctly to help keep streets and neighbourhoods tidy.

Reports of fly-tipping and illegal dumping can still be made online at belfastcity.gov.uk/report. The website also provides guidance for residents and businesses on supporting clean streets, including information on the council's free community clean-up initiative.

During the Fleadh, the council's Environmental Education and Outreach team will host free, family-friendly sustainability workshops at 2 Royal Avenue and Castle Place, featuring activities from scrap instrument making to DIY event bunting. Full details are available at fleadhcheoil.ie.

"Cleaning up during an event of this size and scale requires teamwork, organisation and co-ordination between our staff, residents, visitors and our business community," said Councillor Jenna Maghie, Chair of the council's People and Communities Committee.

"We all want Belfast to look its best during the Fleadh and to show our city at its finest. With additional staff, extra street bins with a strong recycling focus, specialised bin hubs to manage the flow of waste during the day and into the evening, and a dedicated delivery and waste collection window to support businesses, we're putting the infrastructure in place to make that possible.

"Everyone can play their part too by binning their waste, keeping our streets, neighbourhoods and premises tidy, following the arrangements that have been put in place, and supporting our crews as they go about their vital work."