Should we offer to sweep leaves on our streets?

Mucking in - these children have been helping clear their street

A council's appeal for residents to help sweep streets of fallen leaves has raked up strong opinions.

Cardiff council is promoting its 'Big Sweep' scheme as autumn brings a fresh fall of leaves on roads and pavements.

Many people in the Welsh capital have hit back at the timing of the campaign, a week after garden waste collections were cut to once a month before being suspended in December for the winter.

However others said volunteering helps make communities cleaner - and closer.

The local authority said street cleansing teams have a set routine for each part of the city but are unable "be everywhere at once".

They are also unable to move parked cars, which is why they are providing bags for willing residents to sweep up leaves on their own street.

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But the initiative, now in its seventh year, has received a mixed response with many calling it a "joke".

One resident said on social media: "We pay council tax for this to be done and you want us to do it ourselves."

Another added: "Provide bags and you'll collect them? Sorry you've provided bins and you are supposed to collect those!"

One Facebook user responded to the appeal: "If you can provide and pickup full bags why can't you continue collecting green bins. Just do your job for which we pay! Cardiff as a city is getting dirtier and dirtier."

However many residents have gladly taken up the challenge, such as a group of parents in Llandaff North and Gabalfa known as YGC Rebel Mams.

They have been holding leaf-sweeping days for the past three years and said their children thoroughly enjoy getting involved.

Organiser Pam French said: "It's a lovely thing to do as a community and seems to be the highlight of our eight-year-old's year."

Tough but satisfying - volunteers help fill bags with leaves

Mrs French added: "I get everyone complaining and it shouldn't be down to individuals but the kids love it. As soon as the leaves turn brown they start asking when is the big sweep.

"They [children] don't think about whether someone else should be doing it. They see a problem in their street and think they can do something about it. It's actually very empowering.

"It's pretty tough work, but very satisfying."

Another resident said on social media: "It's called 'taking pride in your neighbourhood', like sweeping and washing the pavements outside your house like your great grand-mothers used to do, instead of sitting back and saying 'not my job'."

These volunteers spend two days each autumn clearing their neighbourhood

Cardiff council said the programme was established by the community and had proved "extremely popular" with hundreds of residents taking part.

A spokesperson said: "The idea of the Big Sweep isn't for the public to carry out work that the council will be doing, but to reach out to community groups and individuals that are established across the city, who volunteer to help out.

"The sweeps engender goodwill and two-way respect between the residents and council staff.

"The wider Love Where You Live campaign was devised to bring communities together, so that residents can take pride in the communities that they live in, although it is accepted that some people will always be negative towards volunteer community schemes like this."

The council added that roadside green bin collections will be suspended for December, January and February after research found garden waste fell by 80% over the winter.