RONAN FAGAN
Making vast strides with regards to the cleanliness of the town, Athlone has been recognised for its efforts in this regard, achieving fourth place in the latest Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL ) report, the rankings for which were released this week.
The revealed results complements continuing developments within the town most notably the realisation of university status for Athlone upon the unveiling of TUS:Midlands Midwest and the start of construction on the cycleway bridge to cross the River Shannon in the heart of the town.
Athlone loitered in 18th position on the IBAL league table at the start of the calendar year but this ascension to loftier heights is due reward to the numerous volunteer organisations who unite on a regular basis to ensure the town is perennially pristinely presented.
The An Taisce Report for Athlone noted that the majority of sites surveyed in the town received top litter grade.
'A superb performance by Athlone, and an improvement on last year, with almost all the sites surveyed getting the top litter grade. Examples included the approach roads, the bus/train station (exterior and interior ) and Count John McCormack Square – the latter was a particularly attractively presented environment, with a complete absence of litter throughout.'
Fall in Covid-related Litter
The prevalence of PPE masks fell sharply compared to the previous survey, present in 17% of sites examined, compared to 32% in 2021.
There was also a fall-off in alcohol-related litter, which contributed to an improvement in the state of public parks, 80% of which were clean. Recycle centres were also cleaner. However, coffee cup litter remained high, evident in one quarter of all sites surveyed.
“The findings bear out the need for action on coffee cups. We must disincentivise the use of paper cups, even compostable or recyclable ones, as too many of them are ending up on the ground. In the light of our survey, the Government move towards a levy makes a lot of sense," IBAL spokesperson, Conor Horgan, stated.
The survey suggests that Ireland is seeing a return to normality post-Covid.
“With cleaning schedules back to normal, less PPE litter and less alcohol consumption outdoors, litter levels have fallen. However, despite improvements, the centres of our main cities are still littered at a time when we are welcoming our peak tourist numbers. There is a price to be paid for that,” Mr Horgan added.
Athlone In 'Great Shape'
Outgoing Mayor of Athlone, Cllr Aengus O'Rourke, expressed his delight upon the results announcement noting the cohesive efforts of local volunteer groups who work diligently to maintain the upkeep of the town's appearance.
"I am delighted that Athlone performed so well in the latest IBAL report. The town is looking extremely well thanks to the many residents groups, Athlone Tidy Towns volunteers and council staff who all work extremely hard to keep the town in good shape.
"While it's impossible to have everything perfect in a large provincial town like Athlone, we have come to a point now where we ourselves expect high standards, and high standards are expected of us".
"After all, Athlone is a Tidy Town's gold medal town, we are in an elite group and this is an extremely difficult standard to achieve. In recent years we have successfully risen through the ranks, from bronze medalists to silver and now a gold standard ranking.
"This doesn't happen by standing still, this happens because the local authority are spending vast sums of money to improve our public areas and streetscapes. Thankfully, in recent years the general public are taking more responsibility for their actions and casual littering is not the problem it once was.
"Furthermore, residents groups work hard all year round to keep their areas tidy, which is very important in the grand scheme of things and finally our amazing local Tidy Towns group are always pushing the agenda for Athlone - challenging the local authority, supporting volunteers, making plans and carrying out amazing work on the ground all year round.
"Athlone is in great shape, I would like to thank everyone who has played a part in our success to date, no matter how small or great. It's our town we are and should be very proud of it," Cllr O'Rourke concluded.
