Cardiff Rivers Group

cardiffdigs.co.uk supporter of I Will for Wales was out and about helping Cardiff Rivers Group litter pick an area just below Radyr. The group were in full sweat in the glorious Spring sunshine on Saturday as they undertook a back-breaking project to remove tons of waste from the river Taff.

KWT volunteers removing a motorbike from the Taff

The area below Radyr had never been tackled before due to the lack of vehicle access to remove collected waste, but this did not deter 28 volunteers who were joined by staff from Cardiff Council with their boat.

The group spent over 4 hours collecting and transporting over 2 tonnes of waste in 12 boat trips including bikes, tyres, traffic cones, 750cc motorbike, a wheelchair, large metal wheelie bin, 2 lifejackets and of course, about 10 trollies. Wader-wearing volunteers loaded up the boat and transported it across the river to be unloaded and Cardiff Council will dispose of all collected waste.

Wader-wearing volunteers load up boat and transport waste across the river

Group Secretary Dave King, said, “Today was a fabulous day and a fabulous turnout of volunteers. We’ve wanted to tackle this area for ages and I am delighted that we have finally managed to do it. This was made possible by the use of the Council’s boat for which we are very grateful”.

Group Member, Louise Tambini added, “I’m sure that volunteers had lots of other things they could have been doing on such a lovely day, but the fact that so many of them gave up their time to help today just shows their determination and dedication to clean up the rivers of Cardiff. I was so pleased to see that half the volunteers travelled to today’s event by bike or public transport which shows their commitment to the broader environment and climate change ”

KWT volunteers removing waste from the River Taff

Cardiff Rivers Group formed in 2009 as part of Keep Wales Tidy’s ‘Tidy Towns’ project, a partnership between Keep Wales Tidy and Welsh local authorities. Funded by the Welsh Assembly Government it supports the people of Wales to improve the quality of their local environment.

Cardiff Rivers Group are always looking for new volunteers, so if you would like to lend a hand, please contact Louise Tambini on 07824 504790 or email louise.tambini@keepwalestidy.org.

The next event will take place on Easter Saturday (23rd April) when they will be returning to Bute Park.

KWT volunteers removing waste from the River Taff