Pontypool's Ron Ford has picked thousands of bags of litter

Hundreds of litter heroes up and down the country are doing their bit to turn back the tide of rubbish.

Today we’re focussing on Torfaen, where a local litter legend has teamed up with the council to crack down on street rubbish and fly tipping.

Ron Ford has picked thousands of bags worth of litter in and around Torfaen since taking early retirement six years ago.

His passion and enthusiasm for keeping his hometown streets clean and tidy have even earned him the Local Hero award in the 2017 Pride of Gwent awards.

(Ron Ford on one of his many litter picks. Credit: Chris Tinsley)

The 67-year-old from Griffithstown, Pontypool, is one of Keep Wales Tidy’s litter champions, and he told the South Wales Argus he has been picking litter most of his life.

“I’ve always tried to keep things tidy, even in work,” explained Mr Ford.

“I live on the main road, and I always used to just pop up and down the street collecting litter. I’ve been like that more or less my whole life.

“After retirement I was introduced to a representative from Keep Wales Tidy while on a litter pick, and that’s how I got involved.

(Mr Ford has single-handedly collected thousands of bags of litter since retiring. Credit: Chris Tinsley)

“It’s remarkable how much litter is around. In March last year we took two months to clear a hedgerow near Morrisons in Cwmbran, and we ended up with 177 bin bags full.

“That was with a few friends, and the number bags we took out just points to the rubbish, not all the fly-tipping that had been going on in there.

“A few months later we went up near the West Mon Tesco in Pontypool, and we finally finished clearing it two months ago. It’s well over 200 bags of historical rubbish that we’ve taken out of there. So now it’s about keeping the levels down.

READ MORE: Shocking levels of litter and fly-tipping targeted in new South Wales Argus campaign

“If you clear areas then people are less likely to carry on fly tipping there.”

But, despite being a one-man litter army, Mr Ford is quick to point out the help he gets from Torfaen Council and Keep Wales Tidy.

“If I’m collecting near my home, then we have an arrangement that I leave bags in a certain spot and they collect it all on the way through.

“If I’m picking further afield, then we tend to leave the bags near a road, on public land. I’ll send a picture to the council and it will get collected.

“They provide bags and litter picking sticks whenever we need them, which is good because it means we aren’t taking money from Keep Wales Tidy – who are a charity after all.

('It's my passion,' said Mr Ford)

“I send the figures of the amount of bags we’ve collected to Keep Wales Tidy every month. This month it was 26 bags. The month before it was 76. Obviously it depends on the particular areas you hit, and people might think otherwise, but I take that to mean I’m making a difference.

“It’s my passion, and it certainly takes up a lot of my retirement. People call me all the time top tip me off on problem areas, but I don’t mind at all.”

READ MORE: 'Careful' littering is just as bad as throwing

Working with volunteers like Mr Ford is the key Torfaen County Borough Council in their fight against litter.

But the authority are also making the most of the latest technology to hold back the tide.

Anyone who spots a litter problem can now whip out their phone and send a snap of the issue direct to the council’s specialist teams.

(Mr Ford sends Torfaen Council pictures of where he leaves the full bags of rubbish, so they know where to pick it up)

A spokesman explained: “Rubbish crews are equipped with smartphones, so they are able to receive reports from residents with maps, photos and descriptions while they are on the move and let residents know in real time when the incident is dealt with.

READ MORE: Committed volunteers crack down on litter in Pill

“The technology has meant most reports of fly tipping on council land are now being cleared within a day of it being reported.”

Cllr Fiona Cross, executive member for the environment, said: “We believe that the key to tackling litter and flytipping has to be from a strong partnership between businesses, communities, councils, social landlords and our partner organisations like Keep Wales Tidy.”

What can YOU do to help?

Small actions can make a big difference. So, when you’re out and about, remember to dispose of your litter responsibly – either put it in the bins provided or take it home with you.

A growing number of people go one step further and carry out a #2minutestreetclean, #2minutebeachclean or just make a point of picking up five items of litter like crisp packets, plastic drinks bottles or cans.

Anyone looking to dedicate more time to caring for their neighbourhood can sign up to become a Litter Champion. Keep Wales Tidy will provide all the equipment needed to safely carry out more thorough clean-ups.

Keep Wales Tidy has project officers in every local authority who support community groups to tackle all kinds of environmental improvement projects. They can help with one-off events or support new groups to get going.

The charity also runs national clean-up campaigns two or three times a year. The next one to take place is the All Wales Beach Clean (14-30 September). As well as cleaning up every public beach, Keep Wales Tidy will be targeting rivers and other watercourses across the country.

All the details can be found on the Keep Wales Tidy website (www.keepwalestidy.cymru)

Get in Touch

Throughout our War on Litter campaign, we want to feature every litter picking hero and volunteer group that we can. As well as your stories, we want your pictures and videos too. If you would like to be featured, or if you want to send us some pictures of problem areas that deserve attention, get in touch by emailing sam.ferguson@gwent-wales.co.uk

Join our dedicated Facebook Group to get involved with the War on Litter.