There was plenty of support for news that Cardiff council was deploying extra teams to clean the city centre.
Earlier this week the authority announced the measure in the wake of a spike of complaints about the appearance of the capital.
Rubbish was being strewn across the streets by seagulls targeting the orange bin bags given to commercial properties.
The council responded to the complaints saying that late-night teams would be sent out to keep the streets clean after staff on the day shift had finished.
The authority said seagulls were “intelligent” animals and staff were looking at possible improvement measures.
They said locations for additional bin storage along St Mary Street and Caroline Street will be explored and there will be a review of commercial waste collection routes and times to ensure waste is on the street for the shortest time possible.
'Divert resources?'
Already the authority has been circulating pictures of the streets which are clean of rubbish at 8pm or 9pm.
But some have raised concerns that while the city centre has been given extra funding other badly-affected suburbs are missing out.
Gabalfa and Mynachdy councillor Ed Bridges said the state of the city streets was constantly being brought up by residents.
He said while the council say there has not been an increase in fly-tipping the anecdotal evidence suggests otherwise.
“The council can say what they want about their fly-tipping figures but as someone who walks down the roads in my ward every day it’s there for longer without being removed.
“The council seem to have moved from a proactive to a reactive strategy.
“My sense is that they will divert some resources to sprucing up the city centre, which is fine, but most of us live in suburbs and the areas outside of the city centre.
“I don’t think it’s an either or. “The people paying their council tax every month have the right to question what they’re getting in return.”
Cathays councillor Elizabeth Clark said residents were being let down.
“Local people are fed up with our streets getting messier. Simple solutions could be introduced which wouldn’t cost any extra.
“For example streets should be swept after the waste collection day – not before like now. Hefty fines should be imposed on those who dump building materials on the road or leave out overflowing skips for weeks on end.
"Also incorrectly presented waste should be cleared away quickly – not left out for days like now.
“This would prevent seagulls, cats, and rats pecking open bags resulting in rubbish blowing across the street.
'It's a disgrace'
“Waste is piling up in home frontages causing a health hazard. It’s a disgrace.”
A council spokesman said the cost has been met by "extra money".
He said: " The additional cleansing in the city centre is financed through new money – to ensure that the city remains clean and tidy during the seagull breeding season. This additional cleansing hasn’t diverted any resource from the suburbs.
"In fact, additional money was provided in this year’s budget which has resulted in many of the district shopping centres being cleaned in the afternoon as well as the morning.
"The council will also be launching a new way to cleanse wards across the city shortly through neighbourhood services.
"This new way of working will bring together staff from highways, parks, street cleansing and enforcement to ‘blitz’ specific areas which will improve street cleansing.”
see-http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/why-only-city-centre-getting-11680747
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