Name and shame has worked

Welshpool’s ongoing blitz on the litter bugs will lead to the 100th bin being located in the town over the coming weeks.

With 50% of the town’s litter being booze related, 25% blamed on tobacco and 5% on fast food, the town council has increased the number of bins it manages across the town and says a recent policy of naming and shaming fly tippers has largely binned the problem, despite more issues being reported this week.

The town’s litter problem has been tackled from a number of fronts, with the town council taking on the street cleaning from Powys, and a number of volunteer-led initiatives engaging volunteers and business leaders alike to play their part.

“We currently have 94 bins that we manage in and around the town and have plans for six more to be put in place soon,” said Robert Robinson, Town Clerk.

“Slowly we are getting there. Some of the bins are emptied once or twice a day depending on where they are and others are emptied weekly. We are also getting through the weed and overgrown hedgerow problems. When we receive a complaint we try to address it within a month.”

The controversial name and shame policy was implemented after town councillors said they were fed up of the mounting problem of fly tipping.

“It only took two names and the problem almost stopped,” said Mr. Robinson. “So based on that we can only say that it has worked.”

However, this week the problem reared its ugly head once again with rubbish, including a mattress, being dumped outside the former butchers on Berriew Street. This has now been cleared up by the town council’s team.

An initiative to keep Welshpool tidy has been launched by councillors and volunteers which has enlisted the support of town centre businesses who are now responsible for keeping the shop fronts free of litter.

“These initiatives are good to see and are making a difference. We are also repairing benches, running the broom down the streets on a Sunday and also sweeping the railway bridge which is now much more welcoming for visitors.”

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