Statement From The City Of Cardiff Council On Waste And Litter

Cllr Bob Derbyshire, Cabinet Member for the Environment said: “The Council deplores the littering of our city. Most residents feel the same way. We would ask those people who are littering our streets and our parks to consider the damage they are doing and the extra burden of costs they are putting on the taxpayer. The Council spends more than £5M a year cleaning the streets of litter. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“In the city centre we are looking to extend cleansing times at the weekends and we are working with businesses to make sure they present their waste at the right times. Presentation of incorrect waste at the wrong times can very quickly make a mess of our streets. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“I would ask businesses and residents to help by using proper food caddies to present their food waste in. We are in the breeding season for seagulls and the birds are intent on scavenging for their young. If food waste isn’t put into bags the gulls shouldn’t rip them open. We would also ask businesses with outdoor eating areas to clear away plates quickly to stop encouraging gulls. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“The council recognises this is an issue and is putting a plan together to improve the situation and more details will be revealed soon. I can tell you that we will cracking down by issuing fines for littering, flytipping and incorrect presentation of waste bags. We have taken some people to court over the past few weeks for this and they’ve had fines and costs of more than £300 set against them. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“As well as being a lot stronger on enforcement we are also creating a special team to help deep-clean our neighbourhoods. This team will work with community groups to make our streets cleaner. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“It’s worth noting that if plans for the new Cardiff Business Improvement District go ahead then City Centre businesses can play a key role in helping tackle litter in the city centre as well. As the scenes from Barry Beach over the weekend showed, we are not alone in having to find ways to tackle this blight. This is an issue that we all need to get involved in. Parents need to lead by example showing their children that littering is unacceptable. If we want a cleaner environment then we all need to play our part. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“I want to assure residents we want a tidy Cardiff, but we need your help. Littering is not acceptable and this message needs to come from the people of Cardiff as well as the Council.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​