A group of volunteers has successfully cleared a 'river of rubbish' that had been visible from as far as five miles away on Bwlch Mountain in South Wales. The vast amount of waste, which included discarded household rubbish, bin bags, alcohol, and vapes, was dumped on the picturesque mountain in January, becoming a massive 'eyesore' and having a 'catastrophic' impact on local wildlife.
Operation Details
The Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team (CBMRT), working alongside Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and the landowner, removed several tonnes of waste over two days, with volunteers working 12 hours per day. They accessed the steep hillside using over a kilometre of rope to carefully abseil down the 439-metre-high mountain.
The clean-up was led by CBMRT Technical Lead Pete Spearing, who began developing plans after the scale of the fly-tipping came to public attention. He said: 'When we first saw the images from Bwlch Mountain, they really struck a chord with the team. We spend thousands of hours each year in the outdoors and couldn't stand by and watch such a beautiful area be treated like a dumping ground.'
Over the next few months, Spearing worked with the council and landowner to find a safe way to remove the rubbish in what became a 'highly technical operation'. He added: 'The terrain is extremely steep and required specialist rope rescue systems and a significant volunteer effort to recover the waste safely. I'm incredibly proud of what the team achieved over the weekend.'
Ongoing Issue
Fly-tipping has become an ongoing issue in the area, with culprits often dumping waste from the lay-by above the cliffs. Katie Davies, whose family has owned the land for 90 years, said: 'It's horrendous. It's really heartbreaking. I need a long-term solution; I can't keep doing this.'
CBMRT is an entirely volunteer-run charity that receives no government funding. Every member gave up their weekend to help, while also responding to four separate mountain rescue callouts on the Saturday. A JustGiving page has been set up to support the operation.
Leader of the Council, Councillor Ann Crimmings, said: 'The Bwlch Mountain is home to some of our most beautiful countryside, and it is completely unacceptable that a minority treat it as a personal dumping ground. There is never an excuse to blight our mountains, towns, streets, and villages with waste, and we will find those responsible and hold them to account. The lazy actions of the minority ultimately affect us all. That is why we will continue to use all the powers available to us to hold those accountable for their actions. Many recovered items could have been taken to a Community Recycling Centre or collected from the kerbside at no extra cost.'
