Dirty old Ireland almost a thing of the past
Litter levels dropped by 30% between 1995 and 2005 according to the An Taisce inspectors who are inspecting 57 cities, town and city suburbs as part of this year’s competition.
In the past three years alone, litter levels have fallen by 25% - a move which IBAL chairman Tom Cavanagh is attributing to the success of its league.
“Litter levels were static for the period 1995-2002 but our decision three years ago to rank towns based on their performance brought pressure on local authorities to devote real effort to the issue,” he said.
For the sixth time since inspections started, Cavan is the cleanest town in Ireland but the Cork suburb of Mayfield is the big loser due to its “general lack of maintenance and air of neglect,” according to inspectors.
The An Taisce reports showed big improvements in Limerick with half of sites “clean to European norms”.
Areas like Clancy Strand dragged it down with its air of “neglect” and high levels of litter.
“Across the country, while there is a lot to improve, we are at last ridding ourselves of a reputation that was endangering our ability to attract tourists and overseas investment. Dirty towns are becoming the exception, whereas previously they were very much the norm,” said Dr Cavanagh.
As part of the survey, the areas were compared to “European norms.” They set a target rating of 80% and this time, the average area achieved 73% - compared to just 56% in 1997.
IBAL wants local authorities to improve enforcement of litter laws and to especially crack down on offending businesses. It is also calling for an investment in cleaning equipment and seven-day-a-week cleaning systems so that towns and cities don’t show their ‘dirtiest face’ at the weekends.
As part of the IBAL Anti-Litter League, all towns with a population of 6,000 and over are monitored independently by An Taisce in accordance with international grading standards.
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