Dundalk deemed a littered town in latest IBAL survey

Dundalk's ranking in the final litter survey of 2022, by business group Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL), has fallen according to results released yesterday (Monday).

An Taisce, who carry out the surveys on behalf of IBAL, deemed Dundalk “Littered”, placing it 34th out of 40 town and cities surveyed. In its appraisal of Dundalk, the IBAL report said that “while there were some top ranking sites, it is the presence of so many heavily littered sites which brings down the overall result for Dundalk.”

The An Taisce report for Dundalk stated that heavily littered sites included the Wasteground and Clothing Bank on N53, which received a Grade C, and the Recycle Bank at Tesco which received a Grade C+.

The Castletown River at Dundalk Bridge however was, according to IBAL, “by far the most heavily littered site” and received a Grade D. The report said that some of the litter “appeared waterborne but there appeared there were large items which appeared to have been dumped e.g., quad bike / large toys etc. There were very heavy levels of a wide variety litter items over a large expanse of river bank.”

With regards to the Wasteground and Clothing Bank on N53, the adjudicators said that “there was a slight improvement at this site but not enough to shift it any higher than Grade C status. “While work appears to have taken place, there was not just litter but dumping of clothing and large children’s toys.”

With regards the Recycle Bank at Tesco on the R132, the adjudicators said that “all appeared in good order to the front of the bank – the bins units were freshly presented, and signage associated with same was in good order. “However, items had been stuffed between, beneath and behind the units. The most obvious items were plastic bags, mineral cans, fast-food wrappers and sweet papers, with lower levels of bottle caps and broken glass.”

The town received more positive comments on other sites however, with Wrightsons Lane (Grade A) and the wasteground at the corner of St Nicholas Avenue and Maxwells Row (Grade A) being singled out: “Two sites in Dundalk deserve a special mention due to the great work and significant improvements which have taken place: 

“Wrightsons Lane looked very well, colourful art work has greatly improved the overall appearance of same; the Wasteground at Corner of St. Nicholas Avenue and Maxwells Row has been cleared of previous litter problems.”

The Newry Road also received an A Grade, with the report stating, “Road surface / markings / signage were in good order and the overall impression created along this route was a positive one.”

Both Clanbrassil Street and Church Street received a Grade B+, with the report commenting that “Clanbrassil Street was characterised by a lovely streetscape – attractive and wide paving, planter boxes, ornamental trees, freshly presented buildings etc. “It’s great to see the opportunity to ‘separate’ waste from regular street litter. With a little extra care this could easily be a top-ranking site.”

The report said of Church Street: “This site just missed the top litter grade. “Area was enhanced by attractive paving, brightly painted buildings, fresh looking street bins, outdoor seating with some planter boxes etc. Litter at the area in the corner of the entrance to the church took away from an otherwise excellent site.”

The Castletown Road received a Grade B in the IBAL report, with the adjudicators commenting, “There was a definite litter presence, mostly food related, along this road. “Some parts were clear, others littered. Area close to the school harbours litter and further out of town. Graffiti was also a feature.”

The car park at the rear of Cost Cutters/TSB in the town, received a Grade C+. The adjudicators commented here that, “much of the litter at this site appeared to be associated with the businesses e.g., industrial wrapping.

“A corner site / perimeter harboured very obvious litter items, almost camouflaged by the heavy leaf fall. The overall impression was of an area which hadn’t been thoroughly cleaned in quite some time.”

South of the county, Drogheda fared better improving from ‘seriously littered’ in previous rankings to ‘moderately littered’ and taking the 32nd spot in these rankings.

Cleanliness levels nationwide improved by 6% in 2022, with Naas pipping Kilkenny and Maynooth in the rankings. For the third year in succession, Waterford was the cleanest city. Urban areas improved by 12%, yet they continue to occupy the lower positions in the IBAL rankings.

“The results reflect a pattern of improvement since the peak of the Covid pandemic, when litter levels soared, especially in cities,” said IBAL’s Conor Horgan.

“In particular we are seeing local authorities concentrate their efforts on ridding areas of heavily littered sites. We have no reason to believe this improvement will not be sustained. Cleanliness is a virtuous circle: clean streets beget clean streets, inspiring a pride and consciousness of the environment among people.”

Plastic bottle and cans continue to be a major source of litter nationwide said IBAL, second only to sweet wrappers and present in one in three of the 500-plus sites surveyed. IBAL believes the findings bolster the case for a deposit return scheme, which is due to be introduced this year, and which will see consumers pay a deposit which they can reclaim on returning their containers to a retailer or other collection point.