Athlone Tidy Towns and the Athlone Canal Heritage Group were two of 70 groups within the county who participated in the National Spring Clean during the month of April.
Both local voluntary organisations embraced the initiative to conduct a clean-up of the Athlone canal as part of National Spring Clean, cleaning up the debris in the stretch from Battery Road Bridge to Galway Road Bridge.
The National Spring Clean is Ireland’s official anti-litter campaign and over the past 24 years, the initiative has been highlighted the collective responsibility we share in tackling and preventing our national litter problem.
National Spring Clean is operated by the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce in partnership with Local Authorities and supported by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment and Mars Wrigley Ireland.
Throughout the month of April, the National Spring Clean encouraged communities from across Ireland to tackle the problem of litter in local areas and to see the benefits of a litter-free environment.
Overall, approximately 2,000 volunteers joined Spring Clean 23 in County Westmeath removing an estimated 10 tonnes of litter. Furthermore, National Spring Clean has been a starting point for a large number of groups to organise regular clean-up events all year long.
National Spring Clean 2023 has been an amazing opportunity for local communities to come together for the betterment of the environment and contribute to creating a more sustainable community, be with like-minded people and make a difference.
This year the aim for National Spring Clean was also to raised awareness about how the adoption of a circular economy model, will reduce our litter, and climate impact, meaning that as we transition to a more circular economy, we’ll see less waste, less litter, and lower emissions, and thus, cleaner planet.
The principles of a circular economy have always been central to the ethos of National Spring Clean for the past 24 years. This year, some 35% of all waste collected was recycled, thanks to recyclable waste bags provided to groups and individuals who register, while the removal of litter from our natural environment has helped tackle biodiversity loss.
