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A National Mission for a Litter-Free Wales by 2030

Putting prevention, community action and the circular economy at the heart of stronger Welsh communities.

Ahead of the 2026 Senedd election, we’re calling on all parties to commit to ensuring every community in Wales can enjoy clean, green, and welcoming public spaces.

By committing to a national mission for a litter-free Wales by 2030, the next Welsh Government can deliver visible, lasting improvements to the places people live, work and play, and embed long-term behaviour change that benefits people, planet and place.

Download a copy of our Manifesto here.

Our manifesto asks

The following are simple, focused and cost-effective actions to keep Wales cleaner, greener and more resilient.

Co-developed with a national network of local voluntary groups and the Keep Wales Tidy Youth Board, these proposals will help deliver Wales’ climate, cleanliness and community goals. They have been proven effective, deliver strong value for money, offer tangible improvements on people’s doorsteps, and, crucially, are ready to scale nationally at pace.

In line with the four pillars in our Beautiful Wales strategy, we are calling for:

Foundational support

To enable us to continue to deliver the positive community impact that we set out in Keep Wales Tidy’s annual Impact Reports, it is important for the next Senedd to address the challenges that stand between us and a cleaner, greener future which include:

  • Multi-year funding for the third sector: Provide predictable, multi-year funding for vital third-sector delivery partners. Organisations like ours cannot deliver meaningful nation-scale change on short-term contracts.
  • Reuse ready Deposit Return Scheme by 2027: Commit to an all-in DRS, including glass, designed with re-use at its heart. Done well, we can reduce drinks litter by up to 80%, create high-quality local jobs, and build a stronger, greener economy for future generations.
  • Enhance Extended Producer Responsibility: Extend pEPR to include litter payments, ensuring that polluters cover the full cost of the packaging they place on the market.

Eradicating litter and waste

Keep Wales Tidy lead national efforts to tackle litter, restore green spaces, and support volunteer-led, action that enhances Welsh communities. To support this work we are calling for the next Welsh Government to:

  • Review and publish a Wales Litter and Fly-tipping Prevention Plan with annual monitoring to track progress, transparency and consistency.
  • Introduce broad ranging Reuse legislation with phased, binding targets across different sectors to set world-leading standards and remove current barriers.
  • Introduce a Single Use Cup Levy and expand the ban on Single Use Plastics.
  • Support the ongoing development of a national litter data monitoring system for the purpose of measuring progress, supporting operational efficiency and enabling prevention.
  • Amend legislation to allow drivers to be made responsible for littering from vehicles (on par with other driving offenses) and extend enforcement powers accordingly.
  • Further strengthen electrical waste regulations to address this as the fastest growing waste source in the UK.

Setting standards for environmental excellence

Across Wales, we set the standard for excellence in parks, beaches and sustainable tourism – promoting economic recovery, environmental excellence and national pride. To support this work we are calling for the next Welsh Government to:

  • Introduce legal protection for public owned parks and green spaces and introduce a statutory duty to manage these to a Green Flag standard by 2028.
  • Revise and publish a national Marine Litter Prevention Plan for Wales which ensures our coastline is managed in a way that meets our global commitments.

Creating and restoring green spaces

Through our nature programmes, Keep Wales Tidy transforms underused spaces into thriving community habitats, supporting nature recovery, wellbeing and inclusive access where it’s needed most. To support this work we are calling for the next Welsh Government to:

  • Commit to a 4 year ‘Diverse Nature’ programme like Local Places for Nature to engage all communities in Wales in the drive to meet 30×30 targets. Promote nature-based skills, and target efforts to reach under-represented groups, thereby ensuring an equal voice in taking forward actions to address climate change.
  • Building on the success of previous programmes such as Tidy Towns and Caru Cymru, commit to reinstating a 10 year community engagement programme to support volunteers, build skills for future employment and foster community cohesion
  • Support the creation of a ‘Natural’ Health Service, embedding green social prescribing in mainstream healthcare, supported through long-term public sector investment.

 

Empowering young people

Through our youth engagement activities, we equip young people to lead climate and nature action in their schools and their communities.  To support this work we are calling for the next Welsh Government to:

  • Expand the international Eco-Schools programme in Wales and support delivery of an ‘Eco-Campus programme for colleges and Universities’.
  • Support a ‘Circular Schools’ project that adopts the Circular Economy approach to resources through relevant training and teaching support.

Trusted, proven and ready to deliver

At a time of political change, tightening budgets and rising public scrutiny, Keep Wales Tidy is a trusted, proven partner ready to deliver for the next Welsh Government.

We understand the realities of budget constraints, shifting voter priorities and the need for visible, measurable outcomes from a larger Senedd. But we also see the opportunity: to lead a green transformation that improves everyday life, strengthens communities and supports economic renewal in every constituency in Wales.

Download a copy of our Manifesto here.

 

A cleaner, greener, more resilient Wales is within reach.

“A cleaner, greener, more resilient Wales is within reach. The asks in this Manifesto are proven, and the desire for change is clear in our communities.  We now need the next Welsh Government to drive the systemic shifts that will deliver a better future for everyone.”

Owen Derbyshire, CEO, Keep Wales Tidy

Download our manifesto for the Welsh elections

If you would like a pdf copy of our manifesto, you can download it here.

If you would like to know more about our manifesto, please contact our Policy Manager jemma.bere@keepwalestidy.cymru