A planned community litter clean-up in Newport, Gwent, was halted after council officials ruled that volunteers were using the wrong type of bin bags.
Volunteers from the Pride in Pill group, who have regularly tidied their neighborhood for years, were informed by Newport City Council's waste department that they could only collect rubbish in specific red bags provided by the national environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy. The council stated that using unapproved bags made it difficult to distinguish community-collected waste from fly-tipped rubbish.
Paul Murphy, founder of Pride in Pill, reported that the group had previously used black bin bags, but were later instructed by the council to use red ones. However, the most recent directive specified that only branded red bags from Keep Wales Tidy would be accepted. Mr. Murphy had purchased 2,000 non-branded red bags, which the council deemed unusable. He also stated that his attempts to contact Keep Wales Tidy for the approved bags over the past week had gone unanswered, and the council had not provided contact information for the charity.
"I've been trying to get them from Keep Wales Tidy for the last week, but I've had no response," Murphy said. "I'm not guaranteed Newport City Council will pick those bags up."
He expressed concern that restrictions on bag supplies could limit the amount of litter volunteers could collect, potentially halving the number of bags they could fill during a clean-up.
Residents criticized the council's decision online, labeling it as 'petty' and urging officials to focus on more significant issues. Despite the setback, the Pride in Pill volunteers indicated they might proceed with using their existing red bags if a resolution with Keep Wales Tidy could not be reached.
Newport City Council acknowledged the value of volunteer work, noting that over 150 clean-ups have been conducted since 2022. The council maintains that the use of approved bags aids in differentiating waste collected by community groups from illegally dumped refuse.