Keep Wales Tidy’s impact across Vale of Glamorgan
The Street Litter (LEAMS) surveys carried out in twelve local authority areas in early 2024 make it clear that Wales is facing an escalating litter crisis that threatens our communities, our natural environment and our future prosperity. They reveal a staggering 286% increase in the number of ‘D’-graded streets—those with completely unacceptable cleanliness—marking one of the worst results in 17 years of monitoring.
Vale of Glamorgan achieved a cleanliness score of 66.9 from our LEAMS surveys in 2024-25, and a small number of ‘A’ grade streets were obtained. 91.3% of streets were deemed to be an acceptable level of cleanliness.
Whilst some indicators have risen (e.g. dog fouling and cans), there have been some positive improvements in the past year.
Litter in the Vale is predominantly from individuals and other (unclassified) sources, with food and drinks packaging appearing most prevalent. Smoking and drinks litter are also common, which is the same as last year.
Whilst performance in the county is good overall, continuing to work together on targeted interventions for specific litter types and demographics will see greater improvements in the future.
Over the past year, Keep Wales Tidy has continued to support the Vale of Glamorgan’s drive for a clean and green borough through our delivery of Caru Cymru. This initiative supports the Vale of Glamorgan Corporate Plan 2020-2025 by working with the community and partners to ensure the local environment is clean, attractive, and well-managed.
As we move into 2025, we will continue to follow a clear strategic approach across the Vale of Glamorgan and across Wales.
Our Local Environment Matters. Litter is far more than an eyesore; it pollutes mercilessly, undermining both public health and environmental sustainability. Litter and neglect are a tangible phenomenon which can reflect social inequalities and uneven economic distribution of resources. We have openly asked Welsh Government to accelerate policies addressing Local Environmental Quality (LEQ) and to provide Local Authorities, third-sector organisations and community groups with more innovative financial mechanisms to address LEQ issues.
Cleansing and litter prevention are a critical service for Local Authorities and other public landowners – persistent issues like fast food litter, fly-tipping and dog fouling are not only unsightly but they also drive up crime, erode trust in democratic authorities and deter investment.
The impacts are especially severe for Wales’ most deprived communities, where poorly maintained areas exacerbate health inequalities, increase crime, and diminish community pride.
Amongst the challenges there is, however, some good news. Thanks to Welsh Government and SPF funding via local authorities, Keep Wales Tidy has supported action across the first half of 2024 to address the issue. Over 4,000 volunteers and groups have removed 85,000 kg of waste supported by 251 Litter Picking Hubs and 240 Litter Free Zones.
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
Our impact at the half year point
Eradicating litter and waste in Vale of Glamorgan
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 first half of the year across Vale of Glamorgan we have underpinned the work that is being done to improve local environmental quality in a number of ways:
- We have removed 1,282 bags of rubbish from 422 locations, which represents 6,410 kilograms of litter from the environment.
- Our army of volunteers have dedicated 5,670 hours to helping their local environment which is worth £56,700 to the Welsh economy.
- We have 8 Litter Picking Hubs.
- We have 9 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 Vale of Glamorgan
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 Vale of Glamorgan our activities have been tailored to ensure inclusivity and to reach those people and places that need our help.
- Of 648 garden packages that we have available this year, we have allocated 444 to groups in this period. Of these 15 are in the Vale of Glamorgan area.
- 1 of these has been allocated to groups with disabled participants.
- 3 of these have been allocated to groups that include young people.
Setting standards for environmental excellence in Vale of Glamorgan
Keep Wales Tidy manages the internationally renowned Blue Flag, 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.
This year to date in Vale of Glamorgan there are:
- 13 fully awarded flags flying at parks and green spaces.
- 16 Community awarded Green Flags flying across community green spaces.
- A total of 29 Green Flag awarded green spaces.
- 1 Blue Flag flying in coastal areas.
- 5 beaches have achieved Seaside Award status – the national status for the best beaches
Empowering young people in Vale of Glamorgan
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.
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.
This year to date in Vale of Glamorgan :
- There are 45 schools with an Eco-Schools Award (Bronze, Silver, Green Flag and Platinum).
- Of these 19 are Platinum Awards.
- 47 are actively engaged with Keep Wales Tidy.
- 16 have attended a teacher training and / or support session.
