Volunteers are monitoring litter hot-spots in Abergavenny to help find new ways of discouraging people from dumping rubbish and spoiling the environment.
The volunteers from Keep Abergavenny Tidy (KAT) are carrying out test surveys as part of an anti-litter campaign coordinated by Tom Ward-Jackson, Monmouthshire project officer for Keep Wales Tidy.
Initially, volunteers will target two hot spots – the alleyway from Park Crescent to Ysguborwen and the area between Park Crescent from Springfield Road to Hereford Road. Another area is shortly to be selected for a second survey.
During the trial period, volunteers will not collect any litter in these spots but will record what has been dumped so it can be broken down into categories – drink cans and bottles, snacks, fast food, smoking, dog fouling, business, domestic and other. This will help to measure the effectiveness of work done and enable new strategies to be considered to reduce the amount of dumped litter.
In the latest monthly community litter-pick, 17 KAT volunteers collected 21 orange and five purple bags which will either be recycled or collected for safe disposal.
The volunteers fanned out to target Old Hereford Road up to Deri View; Hereford Road to the McColl’s shop; Sunny Bank and the footbridge over to the business estate; Ross Road, Swan Meadows, Mill Street and Castle areas; Linda Vista and the roads leading from the Merthyr Road, and the route from Llanfoist to the Youth and Education Centre as two volunteers litter-picked their way towards the event.
Coordinator Helen Trevor Davies thanked the volunteers and said the group greatly appreciated the public support they received along the way.
KAT hold community litter picks on the first Tuesday of each month. If you would like to get involved in or would like to clear your own favourite patch, please contact the coordinator by email on [email protected]. Check the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/AberLitter/ or Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aber_litter/ or Twitter @KeepAbergTidy.