TORFAEN council could adopt its own litter strategy in a bid tackle fly-tippers and cut clean-up costs.

Striving to become “clean and green” is a long-term goal for the authority, which currently spends around £2.5 million a year keeping the borough tidy.

More than 1,800 complaints about litter and dog fouling between April 2016 and December 2018, with clean-up costs for that period estimated to be around £90,000.

South Wales Argus: The cost of cleaning up litter and dog mess totals around £2.5 million per yearThe cost of cleaning up litter and dog mess totals around £2.5 million per year

Councillors have now been asked to draw up a bespoke plan aimed at tackling the amount of rubbish littering.

A report says: “Every pound of taxpayers’ money spent clearing up after people who dump rubbish in our countryside, drop litter on our streets or let their dogs foul in our parks is a pound that could have been invested in our schools, enhancing our open spaces or caring for people in need.”

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“Current arrangements are largely focused on reactive work, with minimal resources allocated to preventative action to help reduce litter and fly-tipping occurring in the future.”

South Wales Argus: The British site in Talywain has previously been the victim of fly-tipping. The British site in Talywain has previously been the victim of fly-tipping.

The contents of such a plan, and whether it is necessary, will be debated by the cleaner communities overview and scrutiny committee on May 9.

Any strategy, says the report, needs to be clear and succinct and set out the “behavioural issues” that lead to litter and fly-tipping.

The report says: “There appears to be a link between poverty and the extent of littering when comparing areas of varied deprivation. The [strategy] will consider actions to deal with this.”

Members will also be asked to consider how the strategy will be marketed to youngsters and the public, its financial impact on the council and how it will be enforced.

In March, the committee backed plans for litter and dog fouling offences to be enforced by incoming civil parking enforcement officers – a decision later endorsed by cabinet.

Some members were also supportive of introducing fines to anyone between the ages of 13 and 17 found to be littering.