Don't throw it! Bin it!

21 December 2011

Don't throw it! Bin it! is the message that Caerphilly County Borough Council is encouraging residents to follow in its quest against tackling litter in the Caerphilly county borough.

Enforcement Officers from Caerphilly County Borough Council's Public Protection Division have been working to promote the fact that littering is a serious environmental crime... and have even drafted in a local McDonalds outlet to help spread the message!

The council has teamed up with McDonalds in Blackwood to encourage customers using the outlet to dispose of their litter correctly.

In one day alone, the Enforcement team spoke to more than 200 people, 190 of who signed up to a pledge to dispose of their litter in the correct manner.

Cllr Rob Gough, Cabinet Member for Public Protection said, "Again, it is the small minority of people who feel it is acceptable to throw litter from their vehicles or other forms of littering which spoils our environment for the majority. We are constantly working hard to make our environment even cleaner and greener, and to have such a large retailer as McDonalds on side is a massive boost in our campaign".

He continued, "As I have said before, we will not allow the small minority of people who feel it is acceptable to behave in this manner to get away with it and we are working on numerous campaigns currently to ensure that our county borough is a cleaner, greener and more pleasant place to live, work and visit than ever before".

James Clarke, Manager of McDonalds in Blackwood said, "Here at McDonalds we take litter very seriously. We are pleased to have the opportunity to help Caerphilly County Borough Council improve the local environment for the local community".

This work alongside McDonalds is part of a wider Caerphilly StreetPride campaign to tackle enviro-crime issues, including dog fouling, disposal of chewing gum litter, cigarette litter and fly-tipping.

Caerphilly StreetPride is a council initiative that brings together the services that keep Caerphilly county borough clean, green and safe. Its aim is to work with residents to keep streets and neighbourhoods at a standard that promotes pride and community responsibility.

To report environmental concerns such as littering, dog fouling or fly-tipping in Caerphilly county borough, please call Caerphilly StreetPride on 01443 866566 or visit www.caerphilly.gov.uk/streetpride