Litter pickers praised after town clean up

A week of community litter picks across Newtown has seen more than 140 bags of rubbish collected from streets, estates and riverside areas of the town. 

Tidy Newtown Week took place between 20 and 25 October, led by Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council alongside Powys County Council and Keep Wales Tidy. Councillors, residents, volunteers, McDonald’s and Morrisons staff, and local schools all took part in the clean-up effort. 

A report to the town council states there was “a good number of volunteers on each day,” with 100 participants contributing more than 96 volunteer hours. The clean-up resulted in 142 bags being collected, including 54 bags of recycling and 88 bags of general waste. Five skip loads of rubbish were also removed from residents’ gardens, sheds and lofts. 

Children also took part, with workshops held at Hafan-yr-Afon attended by 20 youngsters and their parents. Pupils from Dŵr Bach Nursery and Ysgol Dafydd Llwyd took part in activities earlier in the week. 

Some of the most common items found included food and drink packaging, vapes, glass bottles, wet wipes and cigarette litter, while unusual items included umbrellas, toys, receipts, clothing and even car parts. 

The report highlights the “strong participation from schools and local organisations” and says the week helped raise awareness of growing problems such as vaping-related litter and fly-tipping. 

Tidy Newtown Week is part of the wider Tidy Wales Autumn Campaign, aimed at encouraging local people to protect and take pride in their communities.