Litter picking hub up to be set up in Newtown

A litter picking hub is to be set up in Newtown allowing volunteers to head out on the streets and pick up rubbish.

Caru Cymru ‘Love Wales’ is the new, flagship partnership project tackling environmental issues that really matter to communities across Wales.

The three-year project is a collaboration between environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy and all 22 Welsh local authorities - including Powys County Council – to focus on improving local environmental quality, providing sustainable solutions and reducing littering at source.

Care Cymru is setting up a hub at Newtown Library, as well as Welshpool, to allow individuals, community groups and businesses to borrow a litter-grabber, bags for rubbish and recycling and a hi-vis vest for one-off clean ups in their local area.

Volunteers will feed back on where they were litter-picking and any particular environmental issues they noticed; this will enable careful monitoring of local environmental improvements.

Keep Wales Tidy encourages individuals and groups to feel a sense of local ownership and pride in as we all help to improve environmental quality.  Access to this new kit will also help new and existing groups to minimize their costs and to work independently.

"Individuals and groups often want to do a ‘one-off’ local litter-pick to clean up in their area or as a special activity for a school class, Scouting group, WI and so on," said Rachel Palmer, Keep Wales Tidy’s Project Officer for Powys.

"The #CaruCymru Hubs make it easy for volunteers to borrow kit locally.  We also ask borrowers to record how much litter and recycling they collected and to note any other environmental issues they observed.  This will help in our efforts to reduce littering, fly-tipping and dog-fouling in Powys."

County Councillor Heulwen Hulme, Powys Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: "We’re lucky to live in a wonderful county with stunning countryside and attractive towns and we should do everything to care for them.

"Ready access to grab-kits will make it easy for residents and community groups to work with the Council to improve our environment for everyone.  We’re grateful for Keep Wales Tidy’s support and hope the kits will be put to good use to tackle the problem of discarded litter."
 
Keep Wales Tidy and Powys County Council is also working together in this project to support national and local campaigns to change behavior that damages our surroundings.

Practical action will include supporting new community groups, boosting recycling, reducing the use of single-use plastic, and development of resources to share best practice and monitor improvements.
The Caru Cymru project is funded by the Welsh Government.

Visit keepwalestidy.cymru for further information about #CaruCymru