LITTER picking groups in Newport are joining forces at the weekend to clear both sides of the riverfront in the city centre.

Newport East Litter Pickers and Pride in Pill will take on the task on Sunday June 6 as part of Spring Clean Cymru, an annual event that aims to get councillors and communities together to tidy up litter hotspots.

“Littering in urban parts of South Wales is quite a big problem and finding like-minded people to roll their sleeves up and go out and make a difference is really important to a lot of people,” said Ben Antoniou, one of the organisers of the Newport clean-up.

The litter pick will focus around the SDR bridge and will spread out in two groups on either side of the river.

The groups will focus on hedgerows, as council street cleaning teams often sweep the pavements and pathways clear.

Local businesses are getting involved, with Quarters Coffee offering free coffee to all volunteers after the event.

“It’s really nice to have the support of local businesses like Quarters, it’s a nice example of collaboration in the community,” said Mr Antoniou.

Spring Clean Cymru did not take place last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the easing of restrictions has meant that this event and other similar events can now take place.

On their most recent litter pick, on May 22, a group of 27 volunteers for the Newport East Litter Pickers cleared 57 bags in one hour at Ringland Wood. Thirty-eight of these bags were full of recyclable waste.

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John Griffiths MS for Newport East, took part in that litter pick, and said: “The volunteers on these litter picks are a real testament to the area.

“It’s obviously a very mixed feeling when you’ve done one of these sessions. It’s worrying how much litter has been dropped in the first place - but at the same time there is a great sense of satisfaction in terms of how much we’ve been able to clear.

“I do think unfortunately this is becoming a problem, especially in some areas of Newport East.

“If we want to tackle this long-term, educating people at a younger age in our schools is really important and it has been encouraging to know this is happening in schools across our city.

“By doing this at a younger age the more we can instil the importance of not dropping litter in the first place and in turn can be fed through to the parents and older age groups”.

Mr Griffiths suggested that working with businesses and the Welsh Government is key to reducing the amount of plastic waste being dumped and urged customers at fast food chains to dispose of waste responsibly.

Newport East Litter Pickers are hoping to organise one litter pick per month.

People of all ages are welcome and encouraged to join.

If you are interested in volunteering, you can register here (hyperlink) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/newport-east-litter-pickers-pride-in-pill-riverside-clean-up-tickets-157279789083