Blaenau Gwent Council is one of the first councils in Wales to develop its own litter and fly-tipping strategy, which has been designed to build on the successful work of its past schemes and to reduce the problem of illegal littering. The new strategy includes a comprehensive action plan to show how the council and its partners can work together and reduce the impact of waste crime throughout the borough.
There are a range of actions specifically for tacking this growing problem which include community engagement, enforcement and education and awareness. Overall the plan will ensure the borough’s residents, landowners and businesses understand their waste responsiblities. For instance the council has recruited over 200 Litter Champions who are provided with equipment, whilst increased partnership work (through a multi-agency approach Police, Natural Resources Wales Agency) will help identify those responsible for enviro-crime, such as fly tipping incidents.
At the heart of our ambitious and vital Strategy is the need to change behaviour around litter and fly-tipping. We want to create a culture here in Blaenau Gwent where littering and fly-tipping is socially unacceptable.
Councillor Joanna Wilkins, Executive Member for the Environment says:
“Fly-tipping and littering is an awful stain on our beautiful landscape and towns. Not only is it an illegal eyesore but often adds to the risk of flooding by blocking water courses and drains. Our new litter and fly-tipping strategy will show our commitment to keeping Blaenau Gwent a clean and green environment, making it not only a great place to live and work but also to visit. As fly-tipping has been on the increase this new approach will help reduce the current yearly clean-up costs. Maintaining clean streets and our environment has been a high priority for the council for a number of years and the minority of illegal fly-tippers have a negative impact on the majority of our responsible residents. We are doing everything we can to try and stop it and I am sure the people of Blaenau Gwent will show the same commitment as we introduce this new strategy”.
The five-year bespoke strategy has recently won the backing of the councillors and will now be adopted by the council. Overall, it aims to significantly reduce the existing litter and fly-tipping issues and adhere to the document's vision “to radically reduce litter and fly-tipping so we can improve our natural habitats as well as our wild and urban landscapes, increase pride and awareness of our local heritage and desire to keep it litter free”.