Deemed ‘clean to European norms’, Athlone has retained 22nd place on the final Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL ) survey of 2023, the results of which were released this week.
This result is a repeat of that achieved in June when IBAL noted that Athlone was then also ‘clean to European norms’, in the ranking of 40 towns and cities.
The IBAL survey presents a snapshot of cleanliness levels across Ireland as the peak summer tourist season commences.
The An Taisce report for Athlone stated:
‘With only one heavily littered site, Athlone would be further up the IBAL table if minor improvements were made to its many moderately littered sites. The residential area of Beechpark, Arcadia Retail Park and L1483 Plunkett Road approach were all in very good order.
‘Athlone train station, the Golden Island recycle centre (a much-improved site compared to just a few years ago ) and the river walk just missed out. By far the most heavily littered site was Athlone bus station – much of the litter appeared ‘long-lie’, indicating a lack of thorough cleaning for quite some time.’
‘Hit and Miss’ Adjudication Process
Reacting to the latest IBAL rankings, prominent businessman and local councillor, Aengus O’Rourke, stated that the results of the adjudication process gave cause for much fluctuation noting that Athlone is a three time gold medal winner at national tidy towns level.
“Yet again, I struggle to understand the IBAL report. Year on year there is huge fluctuation from town to town within the rankings, which makes it not only hard to follow but also suggests that their assessment and adjudication process is hit and miss.
“Athlone is a three time gold medal winner at national tidy towns level, a very difficult standard to achieve and one which is difficult to maintain. I have always paid little attention to the IBAL standings. Even when we achieved second place in 2020 I pointed out that the level of reporting made available from IBAL following the assessment process is very limited and is therefore of little assistance.
“In my view, without a full detailed assessment and subsequent report, we have nothing meaningful to go on, be it good or bad. Compared to the forensic and comprehensive methodology and reporting of the national tidy towns system, the IBAL survey seems to be a snapshot, ‘drive-through’ approach.
“From my own observations, we are seeing more and more cases of people discarding takeaway coffee cups, vape packaging and takeaway food packaging. These three categories are probably responsible for the vast majority of casual, careless littering are our town. So, I would appeal to everyone, please dispose of your packaging. If there is no bin convenient to you, please take it home or make an effort to find a public bin.
“I want to once again compliment the work of our outdoor staff in the council, Athlone Tidy Towns and the many volunteers who are working away every week, in all weather, to keep Athlone clean and well presented. In 2024, we need to all redouble our efforts to ensure Athlone retains our gold medal national tidy towns standard - let this be our focus going forward,” Cllr O’Rourke stated.
Action on Coffee Cups
A surprise finding of the IBAL study was the rise in coffee cup litter, which is now close to peak-Covid levels. Coffee cups were found at over 30% of the 500 plus sites surveyed.
“We are concerned at potential delays in introducing a coffee cup levy. We believe this action is needed to stamp out a product which is out of step with the circular economy. Irrespective of how recyclable or compostable take-away cups are, these statistics show too many of them are ending up on our streets,” Conor Horgan, IBAL, said.
IBAL welcomes the introduction next month of the Deposit Return Scheme as a potential game-changer in the fight against litter, much as the plastic bag levy was. The scheme will see consumers pay a deposit of 15 cent on cans and up to 25 cent on plastic bottles, refundable on their return.
“This latest survey shows these items to be present in just under half of the hundreds of sites we surveyed. This scheme will remove a large portion of this litter and bring about a significantly cleaner environment in 2024. While there may be some inconvenience for consumers, the prize is a very real, and a very immediate one,” Mr Horgan added.
There was another significant rise in the prevalence of disposable vapes, highlighted previously as an emerging source of litter. These were found in more than 10% of all sites covered.
