Part of the team that took part in the litter pick
Keep Wales Tidy has just released the results of their latest inspection of the standards of cleanliness of Powys streets. The latest inspection revealed no litter at all or predominantly free of litter. Tidy town funding is used to support local community groups with activities such as litter picking days, area clean ups, clearing of overgrown areas etc.
I started to get involved in this scheme in Newtown this year. Last month I was part of a team that spent a morning collecting litter on the Vaynor estate, and this Saturday I organized a litter pick and clean up on the Trehafren estate.
Other than the rain (which started half way though this Saturday’s litter pick) I have enjoyed being involved in this project; it gives a real sense of achievement and encourages community spirit. I have also been really pleased with the amount of people that turned out at the events we have organized.
I have also been concerned that fly tipping was becoming a problem in some areas, so we had organized a skip for the day that was freely available to all residents to make use off – On both occasions the skip was full within just a few hours.
Interestingly, in advertizing the scheme, one resident text me – “Regarding your recent mailshot about tidy and litter pick, surely this is what taxes are paid for!?” My own view is that the person that text me missed the point. This is about people pulling together to make our communities better places to live, not just expecting authorities and others to do everything for us. We are increasingly becoming a selfish society, looking for people to blame and not wanting to take responsibility ourselves. I would be interested to know what other people’s views are.
