(Title Image: Welsh Government, Crown Copyright)
The Welsh Government has launched a 12-week public consultation on a new strategy to cut littering and fly-tipping (pdf).
“I am committed to turning the tide on the scourge of littering and fly-tipping in Wales. Everyone must take responsibility for disposing of their waste properly. Whilst this is not a problem exclusive to Wales, I am determined we should become a cleaner and exemplar nation. I believe the foundation for achieving this has already been laid with our continued high levels of investment in our recycling infrastructure and the ongoing support we provide to the large number of hard working community groups across Wales.”
– Environment, Energy & Rural Affairs Minister, Lesley Griffiths (Lab, Wrexham)
The core policy proposals in the strategy include:
- Reducing the amount of waste which is regularly littered or fly-tipped, including a proposed ban on commonly-used single-use plastics or a possible charge, a deposit-return scheme and working with manufacturers to find alternatives to single-use plastics.
- Improving how littering and fly-tipping is reported and recorded in Wales to identify “hot spots”.
- A new national anti-littering and fly-tipping public information campaign under a single brand.
- Possible increased on-the-spot fines for littering and fly-tipping and sharing the best ideas and practice from different tiers of local government on how to deal with the problem.
The report cites an estimate that the total cost of street cleaning, fly-tipping and roadside litter cleaning in Wales is anything up to £57million a year, most of which is spent by local authorities.
Responses to the consultation need to be in by 25th March 2021 – full details here.
