Plans announced to make Wales litter and fly-tipping free

Lesley Griffiths is calling on everyone in Wales to ‘play their part’ in eliminating litter and fly-tipping from the nation’s cities, seas and countryside.

The Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs has launched her new plan: ‘A Litter and Fly-tipping Free Wales’, which outlines how the Welsh Government intends to crack down on the issue, while inviting anyone in Wales to submit their own ideas on how to tackle the problem.

Some of the actions outlined in the new plan include: introducing a Deposit Return Scheme to help cut down on the littering of drinks containers; improving the monitoring and reporting of incidents of fly-tipping, on both private and public land; launching a national anti-litter awareness raising campaign; and reviewing current enforcement arrangements for litter and fly-tipping, potentially increasing penalties if needed.

Griffiths said: “There are no excuses for littering and fly-tipping. I want to see an end to these antisocial behaviours which are a blight on our streets, beaches and countryside, with the cost of clearing often borne by the public. As well as being unsightly and spoiling our enjoyment of our towns and countryside, litter – particularly plastic litter and fly-tipping –impacts our health and well-being, and threatens Wales’ wildlife and habitats alike, risking their loss not just for future generations, but for those alive in Wales today.  

“The goals set out within the plan are far-sighted ambitions, and enforcement will play a key role – but enforcement alone isn’t enough to tackle these issues, and we will need everyone to play their part at every level of production, use and disposal to not only reduce litter, but to stop items from becoming litter in the first place.”

Lesley Jones, chief executive of Keep Wales Tidy, said: “Litter and fly-tipping have significant and far-reaching social, environmental, and economic impacts on communities. We strongly believe that a prevention-based approach is needed if we are to effectively tackle these issues and welcome the launch of this important Welsh Government consultation.

“It is an exciting development that we hope will lead to bold policy decisions and joint working across sectors to reduce, reuse and recycle waste. We will be playing our part with Caru Cymru – an ambitious new partnership project with Local Authorities and Welsh Government, aimed at encouraging communities to take action to eliminate litter from our landscape.”