Residents raise concerns over ongoing rubbish issues in Cardiff

Kieran Molloy, Local Democracy Reporter

Empty bins and rubbish sacks have been spotted scattered across streets in Cardiff’s main student area. People living near the city centre have claimed the current state of some of the streets is attracting rodents.

Zahra, who did not want to give her last name, 33, a student, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “I saw a stand-off between a rat and a seagull the other day around the rubbish.

“You often see them congregating, it’s just not really nice to have to live around that.”

She also said “it just represents a complete lack of respect for the area” and called for a more “collective effort” from both the residents and the council to tackle the issue, suggesting the council should be handing out more fines.

Another student, Hakim Dualeh, 24, said that the issue has always existed in Cathays and seems to be “progressively getting better”, although he said “over the last few months it’s been a bit of a pain to deal with”.

He continued: “We see a lot of bins left out, which then causes a lot of birds and rats. It’s just not something you want to see on your streets.”

Cathays resident Josh Armstrong, 21, said: “I think a lot of the time it’s not just because of people, I think it’s also because of the weather.

“When you get up the wind [has] often just blown the empty sacks further away. There’s been quite a few times you accidentally pick up somebody else’s because it just blown towards yours.”

A student, Hugo Gonzalez, 21, said: “It is annoying having to walk around them as you walk down the street.”

Both also mentioned rats and seagulls being prevalent around the left out bins.

Mr Armstrong, also a student, said: “From our side, we can just be more active and just pick them up once they’re collected.”

He continued: “I think everyone should be just doing better.”

A spokesperson for Cardiff Council told the LDRS: “After collections take place, residents are asked to bring sacks, bins and food caddies back onto their properties as soon as possible.”

They continued: “This includes households without front gardens or frontages, where it remains the responsibility of residents to retrieve containers once they have been emptied. Waste presented incorrectly or in the wrong containers will not be collected.

“Any sacks and caddies left unclaimed are cleared by Cardiff Council staff – and this has been taking place on streets in Cathays over the past number of days.

“The Council’s Street Scene Officers are continuing to visit the area to remind residents not to leave containers on the pavement, and any containers left unclaimed will be removed.

“From 1st April onwards, the introduction of new working practices will further strengthen street cleansing activity. By working together, residents and the Council can help keep Cardiff’s streets clean and welcoming for everyone.”