Eastbourne Borough Council- News – October 2026

New Beachy Head Visitor Attraction Takes Flight This Weekend

A brand-new visitor attraction opens at Beachy Head this Saturday 24 October, combining exhibitions and walking trails with a Hollywood-style green screen filming experience.

The Beachy Head Experience is a new exhibition opening at the former Beachy Head Story venue following a lease agreement between Eastbourne Borough Council and Animazing C.I.C. to operate as a visitor attraction all year round. The new attraction promises a reimagined visitor experience, mixing technology, hand crafted models and hands-on interactive exhibits with the great outdoors.

The Lighthouses, Landscapes & Legends permanent exhibition, will reveal the fascinating history of the cliffs, lighthouses and more, before visitors head out into the South Downs National Park and newly formed Seven Sisters National Nature Reserve using an innovative digital trails app to guide the rest of their visit.

Visitors can see the formation of some of the world’s most famous white cliffs unfold in front of their eyes through a giant four-metre-long computer-generated model, before learning about the two famous lighthouses and the Cold War secrets, which lie directly underneath the headland.

In a fun twist, all visitors will be able to take flight above Beachy Head and Belle Tout lighthouses without leaving the ground, in the attraction’s green screen video studio, with a free video to take home as a memento.

Hands-on interactive exhibits will feature activities themed around the coast, navigation, weather and more, including the chance to send messages using morse code or semaphore flags. Visitors can also take a closer look at the spectacular view with the video telescope, and measure the height of Beachy Head, the UK’s highest chalk sea cliff, using their own stature as a unit of measurement.

Ready Together – helping communities get ready for whatever comes next

We all know how brilliant communities can be when something goes wrong. But there are also lots of simple things we can do together before an emergency happens.

That’s why the National Emergencies Trust has launched Ready Together – a free online toolkit to help communities think ahead, make plans and build on what they already have, from local knowledge and useful skills to trusted people, places and resources.

Whether you’re part of a sports club, faith group, residents’ association or another community group, Ready Together is for you.

Take a look at www.readytogether.co.uk, share it with your community or networks, and start a conversation about what you could do together.

Small actions now can make a big difference later.

Free support for East Sussex high street businesses

Independent businesses in selected East Sussex high streets, will be able to access free, practical one-to-one business support through the East Sussex High Streets Business Support Pilot.

The programme will provide tailored support directly at business premises. An outreach team will visit businesses, explain the programme, discuss immediate challenges and arrange a convenient follow-up appointment.

Participating businesses will receive a concise business diagnostic, practical advice and a clear action plan tailored to their priorities.

Support may include:

• Increasing sales and average customer spend
• Strengthening customer retention and loyalty
• Marketing and promotion
• Improving the physical presentation and use of retail space
• Reviewing pricing and profitability
• Referrals and signposting to other relevant support

The programme is open to independent businesses operating from premises in selected areas of Rye, Seaford, Newhaven, Mayfield, Eastbourne Old Town and Hastings Old Town.

Business owners should look out for the outreach team visiting their local high street, or for more information and to register, visit here eastsussexgrowthhub.org.uk/home/business-support/support-programmes/high-streets-support-pilot-oct-2026/.

This programme is funded by HM Government, East Sussex County Council and the East Sussex Growth Hub. It is managed by East Sussex County Council and delivered by Smarter Society.

Fight fly-tipping: Don’t fall for a “rubbish deal”

Having your unwanted rubbish cleared should be a relief not something that ends up giving you a major headache! Unfortunately, a lot of the fly-tipping we see on local streets and in the countryside comes from illegal “white van” operators. ​

These rogue traders often post great-looking ads on social media offering cheap junk removal. But instead of taking your stuff to a proper commercial dump, they take your cash and simply dump your belongings around the nearest corner or in a quiet lay-by. ​

Here’s the catch, as a homeowner, you are legally responsible for your waste until it’s properly disposed of. If council officers find dumped rubbish and trace it back to your address, you could end up with a steep fine or court date even if you paid someone else to take it away.

3 Quick steps to protect yourself before hiring anyone ​

Before handing over your rubbish, keep these simple safety checks in mind: ​

• Ask for their waste carrier licence number: Legitimate waste collectors must have an upper-tier waste carrier licence. You can quickly check their number on the Environment Agency’s online register or by calling 03708 506 506. If they can’t provide one, don’t hire them.
• Get a proper receipt: Always ask for a written receipt or waste transfer note. Make sure it includes the date, the amount you paid, and the collector’s full name and address.
• Ask where your rubbish is going: A genuine business will immediately be able to name the exact licensed waste site or transfer station they plan to use.

Easy (and legal) ways to get rid of your bulky items ​

You don’t need to risk hiring a dodgy operator to clear out your clutter. There are plenty of reliable ways to get rid of unwanted items safely: ​

• Take it to your local tip: Local Household Waste and Recycling Centres are free for residents to use. They’re ideal if you have a car and want to drop off old appliances, broken furniture, or everyday clutter. Book a visit to the tip
• Book a council pickup: If you have large items that won’t fit in your car, Eastbourne Borough Council offers a reliable kerbside collection service for £57 for up to 5 itmes. Book a bulky waste collection
• Donate items in good condition: If your old furniture or electronics still work, charities like the Furniture Now and Anglo Doorstep collection will collect them from your home for free. You can also list them on local reuse platforms like Freecycle and Freegle.

The little stuff is still a fly tip

Smaller everyday actions count as fly-tipping too. This includes leaving “side waste” black bags stacked next to your wheelie bin, or popping a television or broken cat tree on the pavement with a “free to collector” sign. Even leaving bags outside a closed charity shop overnight is illegal; exposed to the weather and pests, these items get ruined and the charity is left with the bill to clear them away

By double-checking who takes your waste, you can keep your home clear, protect your wallet from unexpected fines, and help keep our community clean.

Giving your unwanted items a second life

We’ve all been there: standing in front of a cluttered wardrobe or staring at an old sofa in the spare room, wondering how on earth to clear space without sending good items straight to the tip. ​

Fortunately, we have fantastic organisations working hard to make clearing clutter simple and eco-friendly. Two local services are Anglo Doorstep Collections and Furniture Now. While both do wonders keeping tons of waste out of landfills every year, they work in very different ways, support distinct causes, and direct their funding uniquely.

If you are planning a clear-out soon, here is a guide to how each operates so you can choose the best home for your donations. ​

Anglo Doorstep Collections – The clothes and “bric-a-brac” specialist ​

If you have bags of clothes, shoes, kitchenware, or small household items piling up, Anglo Doorstep Collections brings the charity shop right to your front door.

Operating a nationwide, free collection service, their core focus is on driving the circular economy and keeping everyday textiles and goods out of wheelie bins. ​

When you book a pick-up online, you get to choose the charity your donation supports from their list of partners—including Action for Children, the RSPCA, Together for Short Lives, and Advance.

As a bonus, they team up with climate action platform, Ecology to plant a tree for every single booking made.

Anglo Doorstep Collections

Furniture Now, The furniture and white goods champion

​If you are upgrading a washing machine, redecorating a living room, or clearing out larger household items, Furniture Now (part of the Now! Charity Group) is your go-to local hero. Operating hubs across East Sussex in Eastbourne, Lewes, and Hailsham, their heart is firmly planted in our local community. ​

Furniture Now focuses on fighting local poverty and social exclusion. Instead of letting high-quality furniture or appliances go to waste, they ensure these essentials reach families and individuals facing financial hardship.

They work closely with local referral partners, like the Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, East Sussex County Council, and Citizens Advice, to gift or heavily discount goods to people moving out of crisis.

Furniture Now!

Oops, wrong items in the recycling

We are incredibly grateful to everyone in our community who takes the time to separate their rubbish and use our dry mixed recycling bins. Your efforts make a real difference in protecting our environment.

Recently, we’ve been finding quite a few incorrect items mixed into the recycling boxes and bins.

These include nappies, food waste, loose batteries, non-recyclable packaging, and textiles.

When these items get mixed in with our clean recyclables, it causes major problems for our collection teams and facilities:

• It spoils the good stuff: Food waste and liquids quickly leak onto clean paper and cardboard. Once paper gets wet or dirty, it can no longer be processed into new materials and has to be thrown away as general waste.
• Safety hazards: Loose batteries and vapes can easily ignite when crushed inside the collection trucks or sorted at the depot, putting our hard-working collection crews at serious risk.
• Machine jams: Textiles (like old clothes, blankets, and towels) and plastic films get caught and tangled in the heavy mechanical sorting rollers, forcing the entire facility to shut down for repairs.

To ensure your hard work doesn’t go to waste, please remember that items should always be clean, dry, and placed loose into the bin. If you are unsure about whether an item should go in your dry mixed recycle bin, look it up in our A-Z of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Autumn celebrations: Enjoy safely and keep our community clean

As the autumn nights draw in, we approach the spooky fun of Halloween and spectacular sights and sounds of Bonfire Night.

We are asking all residents to enjoy the festivities responsibly, be mindful of our environment, and help keep our local spaces clean.

Here is how you can do your bit to look after our neighbourhood during both events.

After Halloween: Don’t leave pumpkins for wildlife

A common myth is that leaving old pumpkins in wooded areas or public green spaces is “helping the wildlife” but this actually causes serious harm.

• The wildlife hazard: Pumpkins are not a natural food source for local wildlife like hedgehogs. In fact, decomposing pumpkin flesh acts as a severe laxative for hedgehogs, causing dehydration and illness at a critical time of year when they need to gain weight for winter hibernation. Leaving them on the ground also attracts unwanted pests like rats to our communal spaces.
• Use your weekly food waste collection: Chop them up and place them into your weekly food waste collection bin. Our collection teams will ensure they are processed cleanly and sustainably.

Bonfire Night: Clear up and firework code

Whether you are enjoying an organised public display, watching local parades, or letting off a few fireworks in your back garden, November 5th brings its own unique waste and safety challenges. From litter dropped during community processions to the cardboard debris left behind by spent fireworks, we need your help to keep everyone safe.

If you are hosting a display at home, please strictly adhere to the official Firework Code for handling and next-day disposal:

• Keep it secure: Store fireworks in a closed tin or box, read all instructions in daylight, and light them at arm’s length using a taper. Keep a bucket of water or sand nearby, and ensure pets are safely indoors.
• Never return to a lit firework: Even if a firework didn’t go off (a “dud”), never approach it or attempt to relight it. Wait at least 15 minutes, then submerge it completely in a bucket of water.
• The “soak, bag, and bin” rule: Spent fireworks and sparklers stay incredibly hot and carry a severe fire risk if binned dry. Always use gloves or tongs to collect them, soak them in water overnight to render them completely inert, place them in a plastic bag, and put them in your general rubbish bin—never your recycling bin.
• Recycle the packaging: While the spent fireworks themselves cannot be recycled, any clean, empty cardboard boxes or plastic film packaging they arrived in can go straight into your dry mixed recycling bin.
• Public respect: If you are out watching public processions or local organised events, please take your empty bottles, drink cans, and food wrappers home with you or use the public litter bins provided.

Thank you for helping us keep our community safe, clean, and green this autumn.

New food waste recycling for Eastbourne flats

In recent weeks, we have been delivering food waste recycling kits to flats across Eastbourne.

We have delivered kitchen caddies with a roll of caddy liners, for you to pick up and use. Blocks of flats get a few outdoor caddies to share. If more of either the indoor or outdoor caddies are needed, please visit the council’s web site and follow the food waste journey.

Your food waste is collected on the same day as your usual refuse and recycling bins, so you won’t need to memorise a new calendar date. Please note that the crews use separate vehicles for food waste, so your caddies will be emptied at a different time of day than your main bins.

 If you haven’t had a caddy delivery yet, please contact us here: Food waste rollout contact us

By keeping food waste out of our general rubbish bins, we can ensure it is processed sustainably into green energy and nutrient-rich fertiliser.

And finally…

Our Neighbourhood First team have been out early in the cold, dark, and wet weather in Eastbourne town centre this week, working alongside Environment First colleagues to help tackle fly-tipping.

During these joint patrols, officers gather information before daily clear-ups begin, helping ensure valuable evidence is not lost and enabling enforcement action, including fixed penalty notices, where appropriate.

A huge thank you to everyone involved for their hard work – whatever the weather!