Newquay Clean is a working party which was established in 2020 in response to real concerns over the increase in litter during the easing of lockdown last summer.

Representatives from Cornwall Council, Newquay Town Council and Newquay BID have joined with CORMAC, Biffa, Clean Cornwall and several volunteer groups (specifically Newquay Marine Group & Land & Sea Cornwall).

It is an open and informal forum, where the aims are simple. As a group, we want to:

• Raise awareness of the issue of litter with stakeholders
• Provide a space whereby members of the group can ensure co-ordination between existing and emerging projects and issues
• Use our partnerships collective voice to run campaigns to reduce litter
• Find solutions through partnership working
• Establish smaller task and finish groups, as appropriate, to progress specific issues or opportunities
• Provide support to funding applications by individual member organisations.

Take-a-way Waste

We are urging people to pick up their litter across the town, particularly at Concrete Waves Skate Park.

Newquay Town Council’s Environment Service attend Concrete Waves daily to undertake their tasks of emptying the bins and litter picking around the area. The team often arrive to find large amounts of rubbish littered around the park, even with four bins located around the park.

You could receive a £150 fixed penalty notice by the Newquay Town Council Enforcement Officers if you are caught littering anywhere in Newquay. Please take responsibility for your own litter and your local environment.

Collaboration is Key

We are taking a stand and saying NO! to cheap body boards being discarded at beauty spots by introducing new recycling bins specifically for unwanted or damaged bodyboards.

Locations include South Fistral/Esplanade Green, Porth, Towan Beach, Crantock, Holywell Bay and North Fistral. Are you able to make a small change today or are you doing your bit to help this cause?

You could receive a £150 fixed penalty notice by the Newquay Town Council Enforcement Officers if you are caught littering anywhere in Newquay. Please take responsibility for your own litter and your local environment.

A Voice for Fistral Dunes

Friends of Fistral Dunes is a community group set up to protect, restore and conserve Fistral Dunes’ diverse habitat, biodiversity and to promote its natural history and ecology. 

As one of Britain’s most iconic beaches, we feel we must act before Fistral’s dunes are lost. Erosion, sediment loss, storm damage and its dynamic ecology all mean they are changing at an unprecedented rate. All of this is exacerbated by human behaviour.

The main problems witnessed on the dunes are fires and anti-social behaviour. (Including large groups, litter, alcohol, wild-camping, and destruction of property.) It is important that the police and council receive official reports so that they have the data to implement change and solutions. Social media posts are great for raising awareness but please report through the below channels in the first instance.

What you can do if you see anything:

• Call the police on 101
• Use the online links to the police: https://services.devon-cornwall.police.uk/crimereporting/ – https://chat.devon-cornwall.police.uk/landing.php
• Anti-Social Behaviour – https://bit.ly/3wmFLj4
• Littering – https://bit.ly/3hCphhv
• Wild Camping –  https://bit.ly/3Aw1b0A
• If you see a fire call the fire brigade via 999 immediately.

Talking About Litter

Newquay Clean works closely with Biffa who are contracted to empty the bins with a Cornwall Council sticker on. Newquay Town Council bins do not have these stickers and are emptied by the Environment Service who are also part of Newquay Clean.

Reporting full bins is important. This gives Cornwall Council and Biffa the data to know where the hot spots are and where bins are damaged or being over or underused and can inform short- and longer-term solutions.

As well as reporting bins, you can report fly tipping, street cleaning, dog fouling or any issues with commercial bins (big red ones that are the responsibility of a business).

What to do: 

• For black bins 0300 1234 100
• For commercial bins 0300 1234 141
• Report a bin – https://bit.ly/3hBFnYR
• Report fly tipping – https://bit.ly/3hlJQA5
• Street cleaning – https://bit.ly/36hk6hS
• Dog fouling – https://bit.ly/3xmApG6

Newquay Clean are looking to address issues and implement specific changes in certain areas. At South Fistral, arrow signs have been added to the bins to let people know where the next bin is if the nearest one is full.

Seagull Proof Sacks

Like many towns in Cornwall, rubbish is strewn across the streets of Newquay when seagulls attack the uncovered refuse bags put out for the bin men.

You can help reduce this litter issue by buying reusable seagull proof sacks for just £3.50 from the Visit Newquay Tourist Information Centre on Marcus Hill.

These tough, durable woven plastic sacks hold up to three black bin bags and act as a deterrent to wildlife scavenging for food.

Re-Fillable Water Stations

The Refill Scheme is an international mission to stop our reliance on single use plastic bottles and prevent the damage that they can do when littered in our environment.

Newquay has been involved in this mission for a long time already. Many of our great cafes, restaurants and bars proudly display the Refill sticker in their shop window. If you need water when you are out and about in town, do not reach for the plastic bottle, ask for a top up from one of these wonderful establishments. You can find these locations either by downloading the free Refill app, or looking out for the Refill sticker in shop windows.

That’s All For Now

That’s all from Newquay Clean for now! If you have any questions or suggestions for us or you would like to get involved, please contact us via email at: newquay@cornwall.gov.uk

Thank you for taking the time to read about us and let’s all work together to #KeepNewquayClean