NEWPORT East Litter Pickers’ launch new initiative aiming to get the community involved in litter picking by opening the first “litter hub”.

As part of Caru Cymru, a new hub has been set up in Maindee Library which will allow the general public, community groups and businesses to borrow litter picking equipment to clean up their local area.

Caru Cymru is the new three-year funded flagship partnership project that will tackle environmental issues and is in collaboration between Keep Wales Tidy and 22 Welsh local authorities.

Keep Wales Tidy encourages individuals and groups to take local ownership in order to improve environmental quality. Access to equipment, including hand-held litter pickers, hi-viz jackets and free bags to collect waste and recyclable items.

The kits are available to anyone but a loan agreement must be signed first, as well as briefs on health and safety, wildlife, highways and roads and so on.

Once all the rubbish has been collected at the end of the litter pick, people can use the 'My Newport' app on their phones which requests a pickup to Newport City Council.

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Ben Antoniou, founder of Newport East Litter Pickers, said: “Having a litter hub in Maindee Library will have a hugely positive impact on groups like Newport East Litter Pickers, as well as individuals who want to make a difference to our neighbourhoods.

“It means we won’t need to fund our own kit or borrow from other groups who have been lucky enough to secure funding for their community work.

“As Maindee Library will be the first litter hub in Newport, it highlights the charity’s focus on transforming Maindee into a sustainable community and improving the city’s urban green spaces.

“I encourage all Maindee residents who care about our environment and those in surrounding neighbourhoods, to take advantage of this new scheme and help make our city a cleaner, greener place to live and work.”

The Caru Cymru project has received funding through the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.