Posted on: Friday 20 June 2025
A community hub better known for being a litter picking hub, has signed up to the council’s dog poo deterrent campaign.
CoStar in Cwmbran is the latest community group to back the Pick It Up initiative aimed at reducing the problem of dog fouling in public places.
Samantha Lowery, Community Hwb Coordinator, said: “CoStar signed up to the Pick It Up campaign after seeing it on Facebook.
“CoStar is a strong promoter of environmental awareness, and acts as a Community Litter Hub in partnership with Keep Wales Tidy, and a source of some recycling items in partnership with Torfaen County Borough Council.
“Here at the Community Hwb based in Fairwater shops we run a clothing, toys, book and home wear bank, saving useable items from going to landfill and offering them to those in need within the community.
“The Hwb also runs 'Community Repaint Torfaen' a paint reuse project aimed at saving paint from landfill and putting it to good use in the community.
“The Pick It Up campaign goes hand in hand with so many of our projects and objectives to improve the quality of life for the residents of Torfaen. I think the campaign will increase awareness of the problem and hopefully influence future generations to clean up after their dogs"
More than 40 Pick It Up packs have been distributed to voluntary groups, sports clubs and schools since the campaign launched last month.
The packs include an environmentally friendly chalk spray and stencil to highlight incidents of dog fouling, a vinyl banner and bin stickers to encourage people to report dog fouling and free dog poo bags to give to dog owners.
Every group that receives a pack is asked to record the number of incidents of dog fouling they find on a weekly basis online.
This information will be used by our civil enforcement officers to identify areas for targeted education and enforcement.
If you are a volunteer group, community group, sports club or school and want to join the Pick It Up campaign, email pickitup@torfaen.gov.uk for a free pack.
Alternatively, if you would like to volunteer for litter picking email oliver.james@torfaen.gov.uk
Failing to pick up after a dog that has fouled in a public place is a criminal offence and carries the risk of a £100 penalty.
Dog owners can put used dog poo bags in any litter bin in the borough.
Members of the public are asked to support the campaign by reporting dog fouling online or via the MyTorfaen app.
The Pick It Up campaign has been partly funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.