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Litter pickers, rubbish bags, hi-vis jackets and more can now be borrowed from the borough’s newest litter picking hub in Graig y Rhacca.

Opened at Graig y Rhacca Community Centre, it is the 13th Caru Cymru Litter Picking Hub to get up and running in Caerphilly County Borough.

Opened by charity Keep Wales Tidy, the hub can lend litter-picking equipment to volunteers free of charge.

The aim is to encourage more people to organise their own community litter picks.

To mark its opening, pupils at the nearby Graig y Rhacca Primary School were joined by members of the Graig y Rhacca Community Association and local councillors to pick up litter around the estate.

Machen and Rudry ward councillor Chris Morgan, who is also the council’s cabinet member for waste, leisure and green spaces, said: “We as an authority are constantly looking for innovative ways to reduce waste and improve our recycling figures, so it is such a shame that litter is still an issue in some areas.

“These hubs ensure that anyone who wants to carry out a litter pick can do so safely.”

Cllr Morgan thanked the school pupils and community association, as well as fellow-ward councillor Amanda McConnell, for taking part in the litter pick.

Cllr McConnell said: “It was great to see the pupils of Graig y Rhacca Primary School taking pride in their local community whilst helping to make our borough cleaner and greener.”

Where are the other litter picking hubs?

Litter picking equipment can be borrowed from hubs based at the following locations:

• Abertridwr Library
• Bargoed Library
• BTM Community Council offices, Bedwas
• Blackwood Library
• Caerphilly Library
• Graig y Rhacca Community Centre
• Newbridge Leisure Centre
• Penyrheol Community Centre
• Rhymney Library
• Risca Library
• Salvaged Creations Wales I-Make, Markham
• The Parish Trust, Trethomas
• Ystrad Mynach Library

More information on the hubs and how to borrow equipment can be found on Keep Wales Tidy’s website.