Wales hasn’t cleaned up its act on litter, according to new report
THE amount of litter found on Wales’ streets has remained largely unchanged since last year, according to an independent report.
The latest all-Wales report – published by environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy – has looked into litter and other local environmental issues throughout the country.
Highlighted this year was the presence of recyclable plastics in street litter, including drinks bottles which were found on 12% of streets surveyed.
Litter dropped by pedestrians remains the most common source of litter while smoking-related litter was recorded on 80% of streets.
Dog fouling was recorded on 9% of streets – the lowest figure to date – while confectionery and fast food litter remained at similar levels to last year at 54% and 18% respectively.
Jemma Bere, policy and research manager at Keep Wales Tidy, said: “After seeing promising signs last year this report shows that levels of litter have plateaued.
“As a country we shouldn’t settle for this – we all need to recognise the farreaching impacts of littering and care for our environment together.
“Waste and litter issues have been highlighted extensively in the media in recent months, particularly plastics and packaging.
“These can make their way into our marine environment and cause significant damage to ecosystems as well as impacting negatively on our vulnerable coastal communities.”
The Welsh Government-funded report also said estimated 80% of marine debris comes from land-based sources and was not just confined to coastal areas.
It said a large proportion of litter makes its way through waterways and rivers, either through direct disposal or litter that gets transported by rain, flash flooding or sewage ways which may eventually end up in the oceans.
Ms Bere added: “The sheer scale of the problem may mean the global challenge of addressing marine litter appears overwhelming, yet there are many ways that everyone can get involved in tackling the issue.
“From individuals, businesses, schools, and governments, we know that small actions can make a big difference.
“The first step is to ensure we all dispose of our litter responsibly.”
The report – entitled How Clean Are Our Streets? – will be launched at a national forum of local authority stakeholders who will discuss the challenges and solutions to some of the issues highlighted in the report.
Last year Swansea was named the fixed penalty capital of Wales where the most notices were issued, closely followed by Denbighshire and Conwy.
The number of fixed penalty notice orders (FPNs) issued each year across the country has risen by 555% since 2007-08, according to a Freedom of Information disclosure, which showed that the number of FPNs issued annually in Wales had gone up from 2,881 in 2007-08 to 18,867 last year.