Charity calls for urgent action to tackle Wales’ escalating litter crisis
Keep Wales Tidy is calling on the Welsh Government to take immediate and decisive action to address the growing litter emergency across Wales, warning that – without intervention – the damage may take years to reverse.
Since 2007, Keep Wales Tidy has been monitoring litter levels across the country, and while progress has been made over the years, the charity reports that the situation is now worsening at an alarming rate.
The 2024 surveys reveal a 286% increase in the number of streets rated at the lowest cleanliness level—grade ‘D’—compared to last year. These are some of the worst results recorded in the charity’s 17-year survey history.
Harm
Owen Derbyshire, Chief Executive, Keep Wales Tidy said: “Litter is not just an eyesore; it poses serious environmental threats by polluting soil, water, and harming wildlife.
“Poorly maintained areas have a profound impact on communities, particularly in the most deprived areas, where poor environmental quality is linked to higher crime rates, worse health outcomes, and lower overall well-being.”
He added: “Maintaining clean streets is not just about appearances; it is essential for fostering community pride and promoting economic growth. If neglected, it becomes increasingly challenging to restore these communities.”
Call to action
To address this growing issue, Keep Wales Tidy has outlined several urgent measures:
- Commit to a National Plan: Wales is currently the only UK country without a National Litter and Fly-tipping Prevention Plan. The charity urges the Welsh Government to commit to developing and publishing such a plan, ensuring that councils have formal strategies in place to manage litter effectively.
- Protect Budgets: Recognising the financial pressures on local authorities, Keep Wales Tidy emphasises the importance of prioritising investment in street cleansing, litter prevention, public education, and enforcement. Proactive measures now will prevent higher costs in the future.
- Accelerate the Deposit Return Scheme: While the Welsh Government’s goal of introducing an ‘all-in’ Deposit Return Scheme by 2027 is welcomed, Keep Wales Tidy insists that this scheme must include glass, given the doubling of littered glass rates in recent years. Comparable schemes in other European countries have led to up to a 60% reduction in litter, demonstrating the effectiveness of such initiatives.
- Fast-Track Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): The charity calls for the swift rollout of the EPR scheme to ensure that producers are accountable for the environmental impact of their products throughout their lifecycle, including the costs of litter prevention and clean-up.
- Explore New Financial Mechanisms: Keep Wales Tidy suggests the introduction of new funding mechanisms, such as a Visitor Levy and levies on single-use cups and avoidable plastics, to support local authorities and third-sector organisations in combating persistent litter issues.
Mr Derbyshire added: “This is a critical moment for Wales, and we need swift and decisive action to protect our local environment.
“The positive news is that the tools to make a difference are already available, but we need a firm commitment from both national and local governments to ensure a cleaner, greener future for Wales.”
Keep Wales Tidy is committed to protecting and improving the quality of the Welsh environment through education, campaigns, and direct action. For further information on their work and strategy, visit www.keepwalestidy.cymru
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This is just plain disgusting. Are we teaching our children/adults to respect themselves let alone our countryside? Obviously not with issues with fly-tipping , throwing litter from their cars, and those chucking away their containers after eating fast-food from McDonald’s & KFC etc… Oh, yes. Who can recall those far-right racist gaggle of sewer floaters. The Voice of Wales. They argued how immigrants were litter on the streets of our capital a few years back. Where are these same morons now who witness so-called Welsh people, and yes , tourists from England and elsewhere, literally destroying our areas of outstanding… Read more »
Tax fast food outlets to pay for litter pickers. Sick of seeing McDonald’s, Greggs and KFC rubbish along the road side. I presume their customers are too stupid to use bins so hit the companies.
So that will really encourage the people who do the rubbish dropping. Why even try to put it in a bin if someone else will collect it, just chuck it all out. And the customer will pay for the collection so the motivation for all customers will be to just drop it. And how would you charge the companies? By item? Or by weight? if weight then what about the local rtakeaways getting away with it. By item – the labour cost would be enormous…
Well if you don’t know you should put your rubbish in a bin rather than out of a car window you’re too stupid to be educated to do anything else. Why not slap £2 on fast food purchases as a tax? Sounds like you’re supporting the dumping of rubbish.
Let’s start by emptying bins before they are full, then see how much of a problem it is.
What’s a bin. Try finding one in a layby.
Bins are treated like mini rubbish dumps for dumpers convenience .
Less bins are needed.
We should take your rubbish home, separate it and put in in your own bins for recycling.
Most parts of Wales compare unfavourably with other areas of England, and the comparison with most of Western Europe is horrifying. The only bits of Europe that are badly soiled are those where British tourists congregate for their beach holidays and those places are well organised to collect the muck at least daily.
The biggest problem is that our society creates more waste than ever before, mostly in the form of packaging, and a larger proportion of that waste is now plastic which doesn’t disappear in a few weeks unlike paper/cardboard. Local councils (and volunteers) are the ones left having to clear up after the companies creating it all. Charge the companies a much higher levy for their packaging so that local government can be better funded to employ more staff to do the work. That might also help to cut the problem at source
I drive around rural South Wales as part of my job and the amount of stuff dumped in quiet lanes and by farmers fields is just amazing. It has to be people who pay someone in a white van to remove heavy items and surprise, surprise they end up dumped half way up a mountain.
I think local authorities have a lot to answer for in this respect, they make you jump through hoops to dispose of items, then are surprised and eventually have to pay for the clear up of the disposed items themselves!