Keep Wales Tidy’s impact across Merthyr Tydfil
Since April 2025, Keep Wales Tidy has been piloting GLÂN (Geospatial Litter Analysis, and the Welsh word for ‘clean’), a new, more ambitious approach to monitoring litter across Wales. Moving beyond adopted streets, GLÂN captures data across all public spaces, including parks, green spaces, beaches, car parks and transport hubs, providing a more comprehensive and accurate picture of local environmental quality.
GLÂN establishes a new national baseline, so results are not directly comparable with previous LEAMS data. Instead, it offers a richer dataset to inform more targeted, effective interventions. With detailed insights at both national and hyper-local levels, GLÂN supports local authorities and land managers to improve planning, prioritisation and operational efficiency.
Methodology
The methodology records over 70 litter items and groups, alongside cleanliness grades aligned with COPLAR standards (with A and B broadly reflecting acceptable levels under LEAMS). It also introduces ‘street scene’ grades, covering wider environmental quality indicators such as graffiti, dog fouling, fly-tipping and infrastructure condition. Early findings show a strong correlation between litter levels and these wider factors, reinforcing the argument that clean, well-managed places depend on more than litter alone.
In Merthyr Tydfil, 30.8% of surveyed areas met an acceptable standard of cleanliness, with recreational areas performing best among the land types assessed. Commercial areas recorded the lowest levels of cleanliness.
Overall, 69.6% of sites achieved A or B grades for street scene, although 28.6% were identified as having some presence of fly-tipping.
The average (median) litter count for surveyed sites was 44.
95.6% of sites surveyed contained items which come under Extended Producer Responsibility for Littered Food and Drink Packaging. 83.3% of sites were found to have drinks litter in scope of a Deposit Return Scheme. These figures highlight the significant impact that could be achieved through well-designed national policy in these areas.
There are also strong reasons to be optimistic. Progress on key policy measures such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in Wales reflects growing momentum to reduce waste at source and shift responsibility towards producers, helping to create a more circular economy. Alongside this, community action continues to make a remarkable impact: more than 40,568 volunteers and groups have collectively removed over 730,000kg of waste, supported by over 490 Litter Picking Hubs and 458 Litter Free Zones. This demonstrates the power of combined system change and grassroots action in tackling litter and protecting Wales’ environment.
These results highlight the power of collective action and funded activity, but it also highlights the need for a robust, unified response to protect Wales’ environment and communities.
If you would like more information about GLÂN and the data we collect, or would like to know more about working with us, please contact us at: LEQ@Keepwalestidy.cymru
Our impact over the past year
Eradicating litter and waste in Merthyr Tydfil
Under the Caru Cymru banner, we have delivered campaigns and activities to reduce litter and waste, including support for the transition to a circular economy in Wales.
Over the past year across Merthyr Tydfil we have underpinned the work that is being done to improve local environment quality in a number of ways.
- We have removed 4,683 bags of rubbish from 773 locations, which represents 23,415 kilograms of litter from the environment.
- Our army of volunteers have dedicated 7,737 hours to helping their local environment which is worth £77,370 to the Welsh economy.
- We have 7 Litter Picking Hubs.
- We have 30 schools and businesses operating Litter Free Zones.
- And, we have inspired your local communities to act and care for their environment.
Creating and restoring green spaces in Merthyr Tydfil
Keep Wales Tidy manages several national programmes which create and care for our green spaces and waterways.
Our Local Places for Nature programme engages local communities and organisations to create more biodiverse areas, pollinator habitats, and food-growing opportunities across Wales, particularly in locations which lack accessible green space.
Over the past year in Merthyr Tydfil our activities have been tailored to ensure inclusivity and to reach those people and places that need our help.
- We have allocated 356 garden packages to groups this year. Of these 12 are in the Merthyr Tydfil area.
- 3 of these have been allocated to groups with disabled participants.
- 5 of these have been allocated to groups that include socially disadvantaged participants.
- 6 of these have been allocated to groups that include young people.
Setting standards for environmental excellence in in Merthyr Tydfil
Keep Wales Tidy manages the internationally renowned Blue Flag Awards; Coast Awards; Green Flag for Parks; and Green Key awards. These awards give us the opportunity to set standards for environmental quality across Wales and to nurture a more biodiverse environment.
Over the past year in Merthyr Tydfil there are:
- 4 fully awarded flags flying at parks and green spaces.
- 16 Community awarded Green Flags flying across community green spaces.
- A total of 20 Green Flag awarded green spaces.
Empowering young people in Merthyr Tydfil
At Keep Wales Tidy, we recognise that prioritising youth engagement is key to creating custodians for a future which is greener and safer for Wales and for the planet.
Through our Eco-Schools programme, we have set many thousands of young people on a journey of positive environmental impact, and have further actively engaged them in positive behaviours through wider community-based activities like Spring Clean Cymru.
We also delivered a successful Climate Challenge Cymru competition across Wales, championing innovation and creative problem-solving to address the most pressing environmental challenges. Inspired by The Earthshot Prize, the challenge engaged schools nationwide, involving learners aged 5 to 18 and encouraging them to develop bold, practical solutions for a more sustainable future.
This year has also seen the recruitment of our second cohort of Youth Board members – offering young people from across Wales the opportunity to actively engage with our work and to have open discussions, offering advice on how we shape our work.
Across the past year in in Merthyr Tydfil :
- There are 25 schools with an Eco-Schools Award (Bronze, Silver, Green Flag and Platinum).
- Of these 13 are Platinum Awards.
- 25 are actively engaged with Keep Wales Tidy.
- 5 have attended a teacher training and / or support session.
- 2 attended pupil focussed workshops.
