‘costly’ clean-up after crowds enjoy another day in the sun
ANOTHER major clear-up operation was under way yesterday after the steps of the Senedd building in Cardiff Bay were once again left strewn with empty bottles, cans and canisters after people gathered there through the day.
As people headed out to enjoy the sunshine on Wednesday, parks and beauty spots around the country saw “disgraceful” amounts of rubbish left in the aftermath.
And once again the amount of litter left behind outside the home of the Welsh Government has shocked people.
It came after additional bins were placed in the area on Wednesday evening.
First Minister Mark Drakeford described the scenes in Cardiff Bay this week, where large amounts of rubbish was simply left behind by people enjoying the good weather, as “shocking” and “entirely unacceptable”.
“I have been a strong supporter of the police’s approach in Wales to inform, educate and persuade, and that is absolutely the right thing to do first,” he said .
“But where people deliberately and intentionally set out to do things that can cause a risk to other people then both the local authority and the police have further powers that they can use. It is selfish, because they are not just putting themselves at risk. These are acts of selfishness.”
The First Minister said that scenes in Cardiff Bay this week were “concerning”.
“When you see those scenes then it does tell us there is a small minority in Wales, who still somehow believe that coronavirus doesn’t affect them,” he said.
“Most people are determined to follow the rules but we need everybody to do that because nobody is immune to this awful disease. We have had people in their 20s and 30s die here in Wales, they are putting themselves in harm’s way.”
He said the local authority and police were working hard to put in extra measures and they will be working hard to see what further action can be taken.
But the First Minister said: “It is the responsibility of individuals to do the right thing.”
Cardiff council said it took teams three hours to clear up the mess that had been left from Tuesday night, and yesterday the teams were out early again.
On Wednesday, a council spokesman said: “Our cleansing teams were hard at work clearing up the unacceptable amount of litter left behind by people enjoying the sunshine, both in Cardiff Bay, and the city’s parks and green spaces.
“The area around the Senedd and the Oval Basin was cleared and cleaned by 9am, taking nine members of staff, two mechanical sweepers and two Transit vans to complete. “Operations of this scale are costly for taxpayers, time consuming and divert resources from other areas of the city.
“Additional large bins are temporarily being installed in Cardiff Bay today and will be in place at key parks sites over the coming days. “Bins in these areas are, and will continue to be emptied regularly; however, we would ask visitors enjoying these areas to dispose of their waste responsibly, and if a bin is full, take it to an empty one, or take it home with them. “Current Covid-19 restrictions allow up to six people, from two households, to meet outdoors while socially distanced and we would urge visitors to Cardiff Bay and to our parks and green spaces to follow these rules, and help keep Cardiff safe.”
...we would ask visitors to dispose of their waste responsibly, and if a bin is full, take it to an empty one, or take it home with them
Cardiff council spokesman