We’re working with Hubbub, Ellipsis Earth and local authority partners on a new project to tackle roadside litter in Cardiff, Bridgend and the Vale of Glamorgan

Scientific litter mapping has been used to measure litter levels along road networks in and around Cardiff. The results show that rubbish was dropped every three seconds on average! That could be 28,800 pieces of rubbish dropped per day!

What’s the problem with roadside litter?

1. Research on roadside litter shows it’s harder to tackle than other littering. It’s more anonymous than on high streets, difficult (an expensive) to pick up due to traffic and vegetation, and it’s presence attracts more litter.

2. Junctions are hotspots: Rubbish is common where people slow down, e.g. at junctions, slip roads and roundabouts. In Cardiff, 20% of rubbish was concentrated at junctions, on just 2% of land.

3. It’s not always deliberate: There’s some accidental or ‘tidy littering’ when people park, e.g., wind blowing packaging from car doors, or overflowing bins.

4. For some people, tidy cars are more important than tidy roadsides. Hubbub’s ‘Big Boys Don’t Litter’ research showed that some young men chuck food and drink packaging to keep their cars clean.

Keep it ‘til you bin it

Tidy Roadsides aims to shine the (head)lights on roadside litter.

If you’ve been out and about in Cardiff, Bridgend or the Vale of Glamorgan over the past few weeks, you may have already spotted our outdoor messages. New car-friendly bins are also being put in place at a Cardiff retail park.

We’ll be spreading the word on social media and will be carrying out some clean-ups in Cardiff over the summer holidays.

On the road this summer? Remember to pack a spare bag so you can hold on to your rubbish and keep it ‘til you bin it. We all want #TidyRoadsides.