The Waste Enforcers – To Keep Cardiff Clean And Tidy

Cardiff’s waste enforcement team has doubled in size since April 2015 – in a bid to keep the city’s streets clean and tidy. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Thirty officers are now patrolling the streets of Cardiff in new uniforms educating residents about the importance of putting their waste out for collection in the correct containers, on the correct day and at the correct time. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Experience shows that the majority of street litter is caused by bags being ripped open with rubbish spilling out onto the city’s streets. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Cllr Bob Derbyshire, Cabinet Member of the Environment is committed to cleaning up the city and has launched the Love Where You Live Campaign to combat the problem – working with volunteers to build a sense of pride in the communities that they live in. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

He said: “The scheme is working well and our enforcement team only issue penalty notices if they have to do so. With some people the only way to get the message across is by hitting them in the pocket. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“All of our enforcement officers are now wearing new uniforms, so the public can identify them as they carry out their work. They do far more work than just issue fines; they work closely with communities across the city to educate them on what they can and cannot do with their waste. They also work closely with commercial businesses and target the unscrupulous people that fly tip rubbish to make money, at a significant cost to the tax payer. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“They have a range of powers available to them – if people put their waste out incorrectly, they could face a penalty notice of £80. There are areas of the city that have had legal notices served on them, as there are continual problems in these areas. If a property has a legal notice served on them – because they have continued to breach the rules, then they can receive a penalty notice of £100. If we prosecute someone through the court for fly tipping, the fine imposed by the court could be up to £50 000 or they could even face a prison sentence. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Last week, the teams blitzed the streets of Cathays and we issued 40 penalty notices and served an extra 351 legal notices on properties that continue to breach the rules. Our patrols across the city will continue and we hope that residents listen to the advice given by our officers, so there isn’t a need to fine people. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Littering is completely unnecessary. It seems that a few people don’t care about our city and continue to throw their litter on the floor. Some even have the view that they are giving someone a job by throwing litter on the ground. This is so far from the truth – if everyone abided by the rules, didn’t litter or fly tip rubbish and put their waste out for collection at the right time – there would be no fines issued and we could spend this budget on other vital services.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​