The most recent study by business group Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) has shown further improvement in the cleanliness of Irish towns, with almost three-quarters now deemed clean to European norms. However, the good news was spoiled by a deterioration in the main cities of Dublin and Cork, both of which were judged to be ‘littered’. Ireland’s cleanest town will be announced at a ceremony in Dublin later today.

 

In IBAL’s view, a clean Ireland is critical to enhancing our international reputation. “This continuing improvement in a time of cutbacks shows what we can do in spite of smaller budgets,” comments Tom Cavanagh, Chairman of IBAL. “We applaud the many local authorities who have now become more efficient in dealing with litter. The majority of towns have achieved a standard of cleanliness which enhances their appeal as tourist and investment destinations. Furthermore, a well presented town improves the lifestyle and uplifts the morale of its citizens.”

 

Of the 53 towns surveyed by IBAL, 39, or 74%, were judged litter-free, a record percentage since the League began in 2002, when only two towns were litter-free. Unlike last year, no town was classed as a litter blackspot, with Portlaoise the only town to receive a ‘seriously littered’ grading. The winning town will be selected from a shortlist comprisingCarlow, Drogheda, Longford, Trim and Wexford.

 

Our two biggest cities fared poorly, with Cork falling to second from bottom, and Dublin in a lowly 50th position. An Taisce, who carried out the survey on behalf of IBAL, slammed the “long-term neglect and abuse” evident in many sites and pinpointed 6 litter blackspots in the two main cities. Dun Laoghaire, however, was litter-free, and its port terminal singled out as ‘not just clear of litter but very well presented and maintained”. This contrasts with the prevalence of litter on the approaches to Dublin and Cork airports.   

 

While the centres of Cork and Dublin are clean, the An Taisce reports show that approach and ring roads are often heavily littered, which IBAL blames on a lack of coordination between city and county councils and the NRA. Less affluent estates and secondary streets are also magnets for litter, suggesting city councils may be catering for the city centres to the neglect of peripheral areas.

 

“We are asking Dublin and Cork to address this by focusing on these ring roads and approach roads, and working with residents to improve the housing estates,” says Dr Cavanagh. “It’s not just IBAL saying it: research shows that the majority of people feel quite strongly about litter.” A finding in a recent Barnardos study of life in a very disadvantaged area of Cork was that litter was what people ‘most disliked’ about the environment they lived in.

 

Together Dublin and Cork receive 70% of all visitors to Ireland. “The progress on litter around the country cannot mask the deficits in our cities. City authorities face challenges above those of town and county councils, not least with the prevalence of dumping and of fast-food and other litter connected with late night activity. But with cities lagging behind, we can’t pretend we’re near to solving the litter problem. Unless Dublin and Cork are clean, Ireland can’t be clean.”

 

IBAL is encouraging cities to look at the Copenhagen model, which involves subdividing cities into districts forming their own ‘litter league’. The Copenhagen authorities have consulted with IBAL on adapting its league format as part its goal of being Europe’s cleanest city by 2013.

 

Chewing gum continues to blight what are otherwise clean areas, with IBAL citing the example of Killarney. “Killarney’s town centre is a model for others to follow, with horse fouling now a thing of the past, and attractive, newly-paved streets. Sadly, the unsightly gum on the new pavements is tarnishing the overall environment. The town should take a stand against the gum manufacturers on this, and IBAL would help in this,” said Dr Cavanagh. “Killarney is too important a tourist destination to do nothing about it.”     

 

IBAL is inviting citizens to submit photos of litter blackspots in their neighbourhood as part of a “litter twitter” campaign to alert local authorities to litter-ridden areas. Photos can be emailed to litterspotter.2010@twitpic.com and IBAL can be followed at twitter.com/litterspotter. “We’ll be forwarding pictures on to local authorities and pressing them to address these blackspots,” said Dr Cavanagh.

 

To mark their success, the top 10 towns in the IBAL League each receive a number of birch trees for planting locally. These are provided by the Irish Tree Centre, an IBAL member based in County Cork (www.treecentre.ie).

ENDS

For further information contact Cullen Communications:

Dawn Burke Tel: 01 668 9099 / 087 215 6942, email:  dburke@cullencommunications.ie

Conor Horgan Tel: 01 668 9099 / 086 8217211, email:  chorgan@cullencommunications.ie

Set up in 1996, Irish Business Against Litter is an alliance of companies sharing a belief that continued economic prosperity - notably in the areas of tourism, food and direct foreign investment - is contingent on a clean, litter-free environment.

 

As part of the IBAL Anti-Litter League, An Taisce monitors all towns of population 6,000 and over independently in accordance with international grading standards.

Images can be uploaded onto twitter.com/litterspotter page by emailing from your mobile phone or email account to litterspotter.2010@twitpic.com . When emailing an image simply use the Subject field to include a caption – date, location and brief description. This will give IBAL and all viewers more detail on the image and help the local authority in identifying the site.