Residents in a suburb of a UK city are up in arms over a severe waste problem, with locals saying they are tripping over bin bags in the street.
People living in Cardiff’s central Plasnewydd and Cathays areas have described the situation as “embarrassing” and “disgusting”.
Amid the litter crisis, Cardiff council has taken action, dishing out 2,661 enforcement notices and 96 fixed penalty notices already this year, targeting people who mismanage their rubbish on collection days.
The problem is said to be especially pronounced around the busy City Road area, a lively street full of restaurants and takeaways where streets are cluttered with exposed food scraps and bin bags, leading to penalties for both residents and businesses.
Elizabeth Burggraaf, 48, a local resident said: “It’s embarrassing. When you have friends and family visiting you want to avoid these kinds of areas. We’re having real problems. The bins there need to be sorted, they’re disgusting.”
She also pointed out issues over cooking oil from local eateries “just being dumped” as well as the persistent complaints about the volume of waste produced, reports Wales Online.
Gareth Davies, a pest control expert in Cardiff, highlighted that most of the city’s rodents are found in Cathays, notorious for its pest-riddled student district where he estimates that 60% of properties harbour rats, often unbeknownst to the occupants.
“It’s the epicentre of Cardiff’s rat population by miles. I don’t blame the students so much,” he said. “They’ve got nowhere to put their waste. If you’ve got seven or eight students in a HMO it’s very difficult in that scenario to keep on top of waste and have all of the bins to do that. The place is literally alive with rodents, it’s horrible.”
Meanwhile, 22-year-old Maisie Tyler, who lives close to City Road, said: “I’m always slipping over and tripping up on rubbish. It’s a nightmare. The food on the floor attracts pigeons and rats. It’s a massive problem. It’s a complete nuisance. I don’t know what the solution is but this can’t go on.”
In response, a Cardiff council spokesperson outlined efforts to combat the issue, saying: “A significant amount of work is being done in both Cathays and Plasnewydd to ensure that residents and businesses put their waste out for collection correctly in the correct container, at the right time and on the correct day.
“If waste is not presented for collection correctly rubbish bags are ripped open by birds or animals scavenging for food which creates litter on our streets.
“Last year, in Cathays and Plasnewydd, the council issued 2,683 enforcement notices and 342 fixed penalty notices against residents and businesses for failing to present their waste correctly. This year, the council has already issued 2,661 enforcement notices and 96 fixed penalty notices.”
During 2023-24, Cardiff council shelled out upwards of £300,000 in clearance costs for fly-tipping and related incidents.
A spokesperson from the council urged the public to be vigilant, saying: “If anyone spots fly-tipping the most effective way of reporting it to us is via our website (www.cardiff.gov.uk/flytipping) or via the Cardiff Gov app.
“That way we will have an exact location and all the information necessary to investigate.”