Cavan named cleanest town

Cavan has won back its title as the cleanest town in the country , it emerged today.

Having lost the title to Carlow last year, Cavan saw off Sligo, Wexford and more than 50 other contenders in the Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) national league.

It was one of 24 towns awarded litter free status but Dublin city centre, Finglas, Mallow and Leixlip were designated as litter blackspots.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment Batt O’Keefe said the results maintained the positive trends of recent years.

“Overall cleanliness levels are continuing to improve. I congratulate the towns/cities that have worked so hard to achieve these positive results,” he said.

However, Mr O’Keefe said there had been a poor showing for Dublin City centre despite the efforts made by Dublin City Council cleansing staff to keep the streets litter free.

“We need to change the attitudes and behaviour of people who simply drop their litter on the streets. Education and awareness raising and the enforcement of the litter laws are very important in this regard,” he said.

The IBAL Anti-Litter League is co-funded by businesses and the Department of the Environment.

Under the campaign, all towns with populations of more than 6,000 are monitored independently by An Taisce inspectors in accordance with international grading standards.