Irish Examiner view: What a mess

Clean Coasts is an excellent initiative and its volunteers should be thanked for their work. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was no need for them at all?

The casual way we discard litter and used items is a blight our cities, towns and coasts, and its harm on nature, creatures, and business cannot be underestimated. Picture: Alamy

Plastic bottles, wet wipes, cotton buds, and thousands of cigarette butts were, unsurprisingly, among more than 25 tonnes of rubbish removed from Ireland's beaches, parks, and beauty spots last week.

The Clean Coasts programme sees thousands of volunteers take to our cherished public places charged with the unenviable task of painstakingly picking up rubbish discarded by idiots.