With days to go, organisers Keep Wales Tidy are predicting that this year’s nationwide clean up of littered black spots will be the biggest yet.
From 20-26thSeptember under the banner of ‘Tidy Wales Week’ it is hoped that over 50,000 volunteers will join together in the battle to make Wales a cleaner country and a final call is being made for people who want to take part to register for their free clean-up kit.
Over 940 of the 1000 FREE clean up kits have been snapped up by community groups, schools and businesses who are eager to take part in events in this mammoth campaign. Litter-picks are being arranged throughout Wales during the week, with the county of Newport having registered the most events to date with over 100 activities planned.
Environment Minister, Jane Davidson, will launch the week on Monday 20th September with a clean-up of the Dock Feeder behind Cardiff Castle in Bute Park.
The Minister commented, “I am delighted to support ‘Tidy Wales Week’ which is all about transforming and eradicating litter hotspots across Wales.
“Tidy Wales Week’ very much relies on the enthusiasm and commitment of an army of volunteers and I would like to recognise the efforts of all those people who willingly give up their time to help rid Wales of litter.
“We know that people are much less likely to drop litter in areas that are clean and tidy. This means that clean-up exercises such as this not only improve the short term quality of our communities, they also encourage behaviour change that leads to our local areas staying litter free for longer.”
The inaugural Tidy Wales Week was launched just over five years ago and resulted in hundreds of neglected areas being restored to their former glory, but the organisers are hoping that the latest assault will result in many more litter-free communities.
Events taking place in Pembrokeshire this year include an underwater fly-tip clearance at Hobbs Point by volunteer divers NARC, beach cleans by Urdd Gobaith Cymru, a blitz of the cycle tracks in Pembroke and Johnston with local school pupils and Sustrans volunteers, while Milford Haven Quakers will be continuing their work to restore their meeting house garden by planting trees.
Chief Executive of Keep Wales Tidy, Lesley Jones said, “Tidy Wales Week is one of the highlights of our year at Keep Wales Tidy, when volunteers from all over Wales come together to clean up their local area with a determination to make their community a cleaner and safer place to live and work. Every year new volunteers join us and then work continues throughout the year helping to restore pride in our communities and the belief that working together we can make a real difference. I would like to say a very big thank you to all our volunteers and encourage many more to join us”.
The kits, which are sponsored by the Welsh Assembly Government, include all the essential items for a cleanup: guidance notes on how to organise a fun, safe clean-up event, publicity materials, gloves, bags and tabards to keep participants clean and dry. They also contain contact information for all 22 Welsh Local Authorities and KWT officers, who can be contacted to loan litter-pickers and arrange waste collection.
To register for a free clean-up kit before they run out, simply contact Keep Wales Tidy on 029 2072 6962,
