IBAL SURVEY: Mullingar in 16th position

The two main towns in Westmeath have improved rankings in the latest Irish Business Against Litter survey – but Athlone, in fourth of 40 towns and cities, is still ahead of Mullingar in 16th position.

Portlaoise, second last time, has dropped to 26th but is still deemed ‘clean’.

The study reveals PPE litter is on the decrease, but the prevalence of coffee cups on the streets warrants action such as a levy, says IBAL.

2022 marks the 20th year of the IBAL litter surveys.

An Taisce report for Mullingar

Mullingar continues to thrive in the IBAL litter league. The approach roads and the train station were top ranking, creating a positive first impression of the town.

Other top ranking sites included The Fair Green Shopping Centre and Oliver Plunkett Street.

By far the most heavily littered site surveyed was the canal area – it has been cited in previous IBAL surveys and there little improvement was noted.

An Taisce report for Athlone

A superb performance by Athlone, and an improvement on last year, with almost all the sites surveyed getting the top litter grade.

Examples included the approach roads, the bus and train station (exterior and interior) and Count John McCormack Square – the latter was a particularly attractively presented environment, with a complete absence of litter throughout.

An Taisce report for Portlaoise

A town with six top ranking sites would typically rank quite highly but the presence of a litter blackspot and a heavily littered site in Portlaoise brings down the overall ranking.

These sites – the derelict site on Harpur’s Lane and the recessed entrance to a ghost estate beside Mountain View Square - didn’t get into this state overnight and will require attention to prevent further deterioration.

Top ranking sites included Gandon Court Shopping Centre, The Main Street and the Bring Centre in car park adjacent to the Grape & Bean.

General commentary

Two-thirds of the 40 towns and cities surveyed were found to be clean, among them Naas, which retained its position atop the rankings, ahead of Letterkenny and Cavan.

Overall litter levels showed a decrease on last year, and there was a fall of 50% in the number of sites within towns deemed to be ‘litter blackspots’.

Disadvantaged urban areas cleaning up

There was further improvement for Limerick South (Galvone). A ‘litter blackspot’ at the foot of the table for years, it was again deemed ‘littered’, while Dublin’s North Inner City recovered from ‘litter blackspot’ status last time to record one of its best results.

“We’ve been calling on local authorities to prioritise the very bad sites in a town or area and it seems this call has been heeded,” comments IBAL spokesperson Conor Horgan.

“We see the benefits especially in urban areas, where very heavy littering and dumping was at its worst. It’s early days, but there are signs that the disadvantaged areas we have focussed on are finally coming good, albeit from a low base.”

Fall in Covid-related litter, but coffee cup litter remains high

The prevalence of PPE masks fell sharply compared to the previous survey, present in 17% of sites examined, compared to 32% in 2021.

There was also a fall-off in alcohol-related litter, which contributed to an improvement in the state of public parks, 80% of which were clean. Recycle centres were also cleaner. However, coffee cup litter remained high, evident in one quarter of all sites surveyed.

“The findings bear out the need for action on coffee cups,” contends Mr Horgan. “We must disincentivise the use of paper cups – even compostable or recyclable ones – as too many of them are ending up on the ground. In the light of our survey, the Government move towards a levy makes a lot of sense.”

The survey suggests that Ireland is seeing a return to normality post-Covid. “With cleaning schedules back to normal, less PPE litter and less alcohol consumption outdoors, litter levels have fallen.

"Despite improvements, the centres of our main cities are still littered at a time when we are welcoming our peak tourist numbers. There is a price to be paid for that,” said Mr Horgan.