A volunteer group have said their litter pick has been forced to be postponed, after the council enforced strict bin-bag rules.
The Pride in Pill group have collected litter strewn across the docklands area of Newport, South Wales, for years but say they have now been blocked by “petty” council orders.
Newport council have now specified they should use the Keep Wales Tidy bags for collections, despite using previously-approved red ones for several years without issue.
Paul Murphy, the founder of Pride in Pill, wrote on social media: “What I don’t understand is why this has suddenly become an issue. We’ve been using red bags for years without any problems, and I currently have around 2,000 of them in stock.
“What is the difference between the red bags we’ve been using and the KWT bags? Is this really about collecting less rubbish?
“We have been told that all litter-picking groups must use the specially printed KWT bags because they help identify litter collected by volunteer groups at the landfill site.
“Until this issue is resolved, the clean-up has been postponed. We hope to be back out helping to keep Pill clean again as soon as possible.”
He told The Telegraph that he had been attempting to contact Keep Wales Tidy, a environmental organisation that receives funding from the Welsh government but has received no response.
On social media, several residents have criticised the council for the decision, describing it as “petty” and calling on them to focus on more pressing issues.
Pride in Pill was established in 2014 as a result of the large amounts of litter on Commercial Road and initially begun with a few volunteers, but now regularly hosts litter picking events as well as supporting homeless people in the area.
A council spokesperson said: “Pride In Pill had not been carrying out regular arranged litter picks with council collection support for some time and has recently reengaged with us.
“Following recent activity, officers clarified the current arrangements with the group.
“Officers noted that plain red bags had been used and asked the group to use Keep Wales Tidy bags for future arranged litter picks, as this is the simplest way to meet the council’s current requirements.
“We have also contacted the local Keep Wales Tidy officer, who has confirmed that bags can be provided free of charge.
“We recognise that Pride In Pill has done lots of good work in the community and continues to be a group which rightly champions Pillgwenlly. The request we have made of them is, we believe, reasonable, and it will allow us to continue supporting the good work that they do.”
