33 bags worth of litter is no longer polluting Moorland Park and the streets of Splott thanks to over 21 volunteers who came together for the first ever Keep Splott Tidy litter pick.
Residents teaming up
Supported by Gareth Davies, Keep Wales Tidy, Cardiff Council cleansing team and Splott Waste Enforcement Officer, Leighton Rees, volunteers were provided with bags, litter pickers and gloves and got to work picking up bottles, cans, fag butts, wrappers and a selection of other things that everyday folk leave behind.
Among the 21 volunteers were local Councillors Huw Thomas and Ed Stubbs and members of Keep Grangetown Tidy, Ashley Lister and Dave King, who is also a founding member of Cardiff Rivers Group.
Support for the initiative has been incredible, with local business Infinity Trampoline Park donating vouchers for a free bounce session at their facility in Tremorfa and STAR Communities first providing Time Credit vouchers for all volunteers.
Helen Hare from Infinity Trampoline Park told Inksplott:
Volunteers collecting their vouchers
“It’s fantastic to see communities pulling together and doing something so positive and we’re happy to support such an initiative.”
Starting out in Moorland Park, the group worked in pairs to separate everyday rubbish and recyclable rubbish into red and green bags under an initiative being piloted by Keep Wales Tidy to increase recycling. Making up the crew of hardy volunteers were individuals, couples and families, including the Regan family and their little daughter Arianwen, who soon became star of the show and became a very enthusiastic litter-spotter!
After the litter pick, the 33 bags were taken away by Cardiff Council’s Cleansing Team. A number of items not possible to remove at the time were also reported (like a dumped mattress) for later collection.
Arianwen on the hunt for litter!
People from Splott and surrounding areas of Pengam Green and Adamsdown all pitched in together to clean up Splott and make it an even better place to live. The attitude amongst volunteers was one of huge positivity and enthusiasm. It was so lovely to see people volunteering their time to come together as a community and do something to make a difference.
Local resident Louise Clarke who moved to Splott from Canton last year said: “What a fantastic turn out to show that the residents of Splott want to take pride in their neighbourhood and are prepared to do something about it. Such great community spirit on show in Splott – I’m glad that we had the support of Cardiff Council’s enforcement team to show that they are just as passionate as we are. Can’t wait for the next one!”
Bagging up at the end
After the litter pick, a few of us decamped to the Imperial Café on Splott Road to enjoy a cuppa (and a few late breakfasts!) and to get to know each other a little better. Spirits were high and everyone said how much they were looking forward to the next pick.
Keep Splott Tidy all came from one individual contacting Inksplott and asking if there was a litter-picking initiative that she could get involved with. Linda Prendeville emailed back in May wanting to do something proactive about the litter situation in Splott:
“I have a few hours to spare in the week where I would like to help and I’m sure many more could do as well. A little would go a long way.”
A few months later, and with support and encouragement from Keep Wales Tidy, Keep Splott Tidy was born. It just goes to show that people, individuals, can make a real difference.
Off with the waste!
The next Keep Splott Tidy litter pick will be on Saturday the 24th September from 10am to 11.30am and will target Cumnock Place and surrounding streets. We will meet at the end of Sanquhar Street by the footbridge over into Adamsdown.
Please come along – this morning was great fun and worthwhile and the streets of Splott sure are cleaner for it. To sign up to the event on Facebook click here.
Finally, a MASSIVE thank you to everyone who came out this morning and took part. What a bunch of STARs!
For more information on Keep Wales Tidy, click here.
To view the facebook album, click here.