Cardiff Council has approved plans to introduce pop-up recycling centres in every ward as part of a crackdown on litter and fly-tipping in the city.
At a council meeting, it was revealed that reports of fly-tipping in Cardiff increased from 17,669 in 2023/24 to 24,289 in 2024/25 – an increase of over a third. However, Cllr Ed Stubbs, the cabinet member for waste, said the increase was due to the council’s push to get people reporting fly-tipping and litter.
Plans for every ward
Cllr Stubbs said: “We are reintroducing, what I am calling, pop-up recycling centres. We are going to do one in every ward. We will come to your ward, we will come to you.”
The motion approved by the full council also resolved to bring back dedicated community sweepers, install additional litter bins where needed, increase the frequency of litter bin emptying, cover the cost of insurance for local litter picking groups, remove fly-tipping more quickly and strengthen enforcement action against those responsible.
Community skips and fines
The council said it would explore reintroducing community skips in areas to reduce fly-tipping and improve the local environment, as well as piloting alternatives to the red and blue sack recycling system currently used in the city.
The council also plans to write to the Welsh government to support raising the value of fixed penalty notices for the most serious forms of waste offences. Currently, the maximum fine for fly-tipping is £400, but a recent proposal by the Welsh government could bring it up to £5,000 – bringing it in line with England.
Councillors respond
Presenting the motion, Cllr Joe Carter said, regarding waste in the city: “We are not getting it right, or at least we could be doing a lot better than we currently are. The amount of litter on our streets has got worse, our residents see it as a sign of neglect.”
Long-time councillor Russell Goodway said: “Hallelujah, praise the lord, the council has come together to identify an issue which is one of the most important to the city’s residents. Well done everyone, can I have more debates like this one please?”
The motion reads: “The sharp increase in fly-tipping reports across Cardiff is unacceptable and raises serious questions about whether sufficient priority is being given to maintaining clean and welcoming neighbourhoods. At a time when residents are paying higher levels of council tax, they are entitled to expect cleaner streets, faster responses to environmental problems and visible improvements in their local communities.”
