Over 20 volunteers — including some welcome new faces — did a fantastic job in and around Faendre Reen, St. Mellons, this morning, collecting more than 60 bags of litter (mostly plastic drinks bottles), plus a whole load of miscellaneous items (eg, toys, footballs, old carpets, clothing, discharged fire-extinguishers, a motorbike exhaust, and DIY/building waste).

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There was also quite a lot of polystyrene in the reen, a lot of it broken up into individual ‘beads’ that are impossible to remove by hand, creating a hazard for wildlife by choking them or clogging their digestive system.

Commenting on the litter-pick, Louise Tambini, a CRG committee member, said,

“Unfortunately, it does seem that a lot of waste we removed today had been thrown over the back fences of houses. It then falls down the bank and into the Faendre Reen. This waste causes blockages and harms wildlife, as well as looking extremely unsightly. There are many other options for residents, including using the council’s bulky waste collection and donating unwanted toys to local charity shops. I just wish more residents disposed of their waste responsibly”.

Having found, and helped to remove, a large cable drum…

… one volunteer decided to go on well-earned holiday with a suitcase he’d found.