A conveyor belt assembly is provided with a cleated type conveyor belt or other belt having raised projections on its carrying surface, and a cleaning mechanism adapted to clean the belt. The cleaning mechanism has a rotatable shaft and a plurality of flexible disks mounted on the shaft that engage the surface of the conveyor belt to clean the belt as the belt moves past the cleaning mechanism. Each disk has a plurality of flexible fingers that extend outwardly from the perimeter of the disk. The fingers engage around the cleats or raised projections on the moving conveyor belt to remove residual material adhering to the belt.