Newport pays £1.6million a year to clean up litter and fly tipping

But the city is fighting back.

Newport City Council and local volunteering groups are getting stuck in to clear problem areas and raise awareness about littering in communities.

Two years ago, the council launched their Pride in Newport campaign, and there’s even a dedicated confidential hot line for people to report fly tipping, litterers and problem areas in the city.

Communities is one of the cornerstones of winning the war against litter, and one Newport community that is starting to reap the rewards is Pill.

Founder Paul Murphy started the group in 2014, and it’s success has even led to an MBE in voluntary services. But the group hasn’t been resting on their accolades.

(Paul Murphy, founder of Pride in Pill MBE)

“We’re still fighting the battle,” said Mr Murphy.

“Now the summer is here it usually gets a lot worse, so we’re going to be busy for sure.

“We try to do one big event every month. Apart from that event we have a core group of volunteers who are out all the time.

“But we do run into problems. Last month we cleaned a park and left the rubbish to be collected by the bins. But somebody came along and set it on fire that night.

“What keeps me going is that if I don’t do it nobody else will. If we stop now it’s going to go back to the way it was four years ago.

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

Pride in Pill has relied on lottery funding and generous help from Newport City homes and Melyn Homes to keep going, as well as their small but growing army of volunteers.

Mr Murphy said: “We have such a good relationship with the community. They really appreciate us, and that helps too.

“We’ve got about 15 officers and community members on board. When we put events on though we get over 30 people easily."

 

(Pride in Pill volunteers organise at least one litter picking event every month)

Their hard work was rewarded in 2017 with an MBE award, which Mr Murphy says has given the group and community a huge boost. But the group is always looking for more volunteers.

“I’ve always said that if people want advice they should get in touch with me, I’m more than happy to set people on the right track,” said Mr Murphy.

“But I would say to anyone looking to start their own group, plan your first event and see how it goes. If you’re happy, just keep doing it. People who care about the community will want to get on board, and you will feel better by doing your bit.”

READ MORE: Pontypool's Ron Ford has picked thousands of bags of litter

Councillor Roger Jeavons, the council’s cabinet member for Streetscene, thanked Pride in Pill for their hard work in the city, adding that fly-tipping is still a blight on society that needs everyone to pull together to help tackle the problem.

He added: “We are glad to hear of the campaign set up by the South Wales Argus who already back our Pride in Newport campaign and we hope by working together we can get the message across that dumping litter is anti-social and anyone caught will be fined

“Since its launch the campaign has picked up tonnes of rubbish fly-tipped on sites across the city.

“Despite limited resources, officers are doing a sterling job, and we hope the public will take on board that they can help the campaign by disposing of waste in the proper manner.”

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 or joining our dedicated Facebook group – South Wales Argus: War on Litter.

PRACTICAL ADVICE

EVERY war needs its heroes.

This summer, the South Wales Argus will be bringing you stories from litter heroes from across Newport, Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly County Borough and Torfaen.

But YOU can make a difference too.

By making small changes, every single one of us can help tackle the plague of litter sweeping across Wales.

If you want to get involved in litter picking, or set up your own group, Keep Wales Tidy have this simple advice:

“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),which will also be targeting rivers and other watercourses across the country. All the details can be found on the Keep Wales Tidy website.”

You can get in touch with Keep Wales Tidy at info@keepwalestidy.cymru or call 029 2025 6767.

Get in touch with the South Wales Argus to tell us about your success stories to be featured in our campaign, to shout about trouble spots or to nominate a local hero.