Letterkenny has reached its highest ever position in the Irish Business Against Litter ranking of 40 towns and cities.
Letterkenny has been deemed ‘Cleaner than European Norms’, and is ranked second best in the country after Naas.
IBAL is particularly complimentary about Letterkenny University Hospital, The Bernard McGlinchey Town Park and the area around Letterkenny Retail Park.
In general, IBAL says there is a reduction in litter across the country, particularly in terms of masks and other PPE. However, they have expressed concern about the prevalence of single use coffee cups, saying it’s time to consider a levy.
Two-thirds of the towns and cities surveyed were found to be clean.
IBAL’s Conor Horgan says that’s good news………..
Release in full –
Letterkenny hits new heights in latest litter survey
- Letterkenny in 2nd position among 40 towns and cities
- Drop-off in PPE litter but need for action on coffee cups
The latest survey by Irish Business Against Litter shows Letterkenny reaching its best ever position in the business group’s ranking of 40 towns and cities. Deemed Cleaner than European Norms, the Donegal town is in runner up position. PPE litter is on the decrease, but the prevalence of coffee cups on our streets warrants action such as a levy, says IBAL. 2022 marks the 20th year of the IBAL litter surveys.
The An Taisce report for Letterkenny stated:
An excellent result for Letterkenny, placing it firmly towards the top end of the league. With so many top ranking sites there are a few which deserve a special mention. The first of these is Letterkenny Hospital – this had been a littered site in previous surveys – not so, this time around when it was very much deserving of the top litter grade. Letterkenny Retail Park wasn’t just good with regard to litter – it was a very freshly presented and maintained environment. Letterkenny Bus Eireann Station was also very much a top ranking site. The Bernard McGlinchey Town Park wasn’t just beautifully presented and maintained – it was spotless throughout.
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, with a dramatic 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. However, 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,” comments Mr Horgan.
