Frustration is growing in Cardiff suburbs over streets covered in waste and litter. Recent photos shared on social media show Llandaff Road, which runs through Canton and Pontcanna, covered in litter on the pavements.
A number of residents in Canton and Pontcanna have said the issue has become worse in recent months. Some added that it often spikes following collection days or warmer weather.
One resident who lives in Pontcanna said: “It’s terrible. It’s been getting worse and worse in Pontcanna for years now. Part of the issue is bags being ripped open or presented on the wrong days and left out. I’ve lived and worked across a number of places in England and Wales and Cardiff is probably the dirtiest city I’ve spent time in sadly.”
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Many say that litter has increased in the last few months, with dog mess bags, cans, and bottles left on the pavements and in parks. Residents of Pontcanna and Canton feel the problem gets worse after collections, and on warm days that bring more people to parks.
Nigel Pugh, who posted about the issue on Twitter, said: "The whole of Llandaff Rd has been littered like this since last Wednesday, our recycling day. Our co-mingled recycling system across Cardiff is treating its natural environment like a plastics dumping ground."
A Cardiff council spokesperson said that they clean Llandaff Road each week, with further work carried out if required. They said: “The council hasn’t received any reports about an increase in litter on Llandaff Road, but now that it has been highlighted to us, we will keep a watching brief.
"If litter wasn’t dropped on the floor, and all waste was presented for collection correctly, there wouldn’t be a need to spend £6.2m on street cleansing operations, and this money could be spent on other vital public services. Everyone needs to take responsibility for their own litter and to dispose of it responsibly.”
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Ceri Davies, a resident of Cathays, feels Llandaff Road is an indictment of the entire city of Cardiff. She said: "The inner-city suburbs do have a litter problem, often from poor waste management and the ever present gulls." She has accepted that litter is a way of life in Cardiff.
Plaid Cymru MS Rhys ab Owen, who lives in Canton, says Cardiff Council must do better. He said: “The rubbish around Canton and Riverside along Llandaff Road seems to get worse when I’m walking around our community.
“For the next Cardiff council I would like a properly funded, adequately enforced plan to get to grips with littering, dog fouling, and waste in general. The council should increase the number and size of the bins in the city, with regular collection services, and boost the support for local litter-picking groups.”
Anthony Slaughter, leader of the Wales Green Party, feels Cardiff is "definitely seeing an increasing amount of litter" and said many areas are in a "shameful condition".
He said: "While Cardiff council, like other local authorities, is operating within difficult financial conditions there is an urgent need for more joined up action across waste collection and street cleaning services. The inefficient use of comingled collection of recycling does play a significant role in this increasing problem."
