According to a report published by the charity Keep Wales Tidy, streets in Cardiff are getting cleaner.
The research is outlined in the document “How Clean Are Our Streets?” and Cardiff has a Cleanliness Index (CI) of 66.4 compared with a CI of 66 the previous year and 94.7% of the city’s streets are classed as B and above. In 2014/15 it was 93.7%.
In a press release issued by Cardiff Council, Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Bob Derbyshire said: “It’s obviously great news that we’re moving in the right direction in terms of clean streets and I would like to thank our cleansing and enforcement staff for the hard work they do in challenging conditions. It is especially gratifying that we’ve obtained these results given the demands of having a large and transient population as well as staging major events. During 2015/16 we have made changes to the way we manage street cleaning through a Neighbourhood Services Project, and it is hoped that the new way of working will ensure that standards of cleanliness continue to rise. However, let’s not be complacent as we all know that littering is still a major concern that must be tackled by everybody.”
The Chief Executive of Keep Wales Tidy, Lesley Jones said: “It’s positive to see the number of completely litter-free streets rising in Wales. It’s a testament to the hard work that so many local authorities, organisations and volunteers put in all year round. But we’re not complacent. We know that litter is an issue for many communities and our report highlights the trends that are increasing year-on-year, such as cigarette litter and food on-the-go.”
Cllr Derbyshire added: “The Council is determined to tackle the issue of littering head on through enforcement measures and by raising public awareness. On the latter point in May we will be relaunching our Usual Suspects campaign against littering and dog fouling and reminding residents that offenders will face fines of up to £100. I would also like to take this opportunity to remind households that it is their responsibility to only put waste and recycling out on the actual day of collection.”
Keep Wales Tidy publish their report based on Local Environmental Audit and Management System (LEAMS) data every year and it analyses the work carried out by all local authorities in Wales.
What do you think? Are the streets of Splott cleaner than they were last year? Is there less dog’s mess around? Less litter? How have the changes to the bins and waste collections affected you? There has been quite a lot of activity on Twitter lately pointing out fly-tipping hot-spots to the council, especially lower Neath St and Swansea Street, and residents have voiced their anger that sofas and fridges are being dumped outside their doors. Send in your stories and thoughts – it would be interesting to get a discussion going.