'It was spotless'- Waterford wins back title of Ireland’s Cleanest city

Once again Waterford has emerged as Ireland’s Cleanest City in the Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) Anti-Litter League 2025. 

Last year, Waterford lost the title to Galway but has now won back the title amid an announcement made on January 5 2026.

The city ranked 6th out of 40 cities and towns, a jump of two places from the previous survey, and was classed as Cleaner than European norms.

Waterford City continues to score very well in the IBAL anti-litter league, and according to the latest survey, “Waterford City is once again our cleanest city - what was particularly encouraging this time around was the fact that a couple of sites which had regularly been heavily littered / dumped upon, were no longer so.”

The report also stated, “Remarkably, 19 of 24 sites visited got the top litter grade, and there are some which deserve a special mention – The Mall was exceptionally well presented and maintained, as was the Viking / Museum Quarter – these are typically high ranking, and things were no different this time around. 

There was an abundance of Waterford Winterland activity taking place throughout many locations in the city centre – this didn’t impact in any negative way on the litter situation.”

Most of the sites surveyed received a Grade A ranking and these, amongst others, included the Outer Ring Road (towards UHW), Newtown Road, Waterford College of Further Education, Waterford Cultural Quarter, William Vincent Wallace Plaza, Kingfisher Sports facility and the former Woodpecker site on the Dunmore Road.

The Mall, also receiving a Grade A ranking, was referred to as “not only was this area excellent with regards to litter, there were so many features which deserved a mention:  excellent paving, lovely 'olde' style street lamps, 3D model of Viking Quarter, very good visitor information notices etc. - all the above were very well maintained and a lovely environment for visitors to Waterford City. It was spotless throughout.”

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"The whole area is exceptionally well presented and maintained.  There were several plaques dedicated to persons of significance e.g. Constitution Square. Planted areas were in good order.  Overall, this was an exceptionally good site.”

Ballybeg performed robustly once again, being ranked 23rd out of 40 towns / cities surveyed and was classed as clean to European norms.

The report stated, “Another strong showing by Ballybeg. The Bring Facility at Tesco, was very much deserving of the top litter grade – this hasn’t always been the case.  The residential area of Ardmore Terrace, Ballybeg Playground / Park and the approach roads were all very much deserving of the top litter grade.”

However, it was noted that the “most heavily littered site was 98 Ardmore Park – this boarded up residential unit wasn’t just littered but subject to monumental dumping – the gates were open, allowing for easy access to the site.”

The survey also revealed that the Deposit Return Scheme continues to have a positive impact on the cleanliness of our towns and cities, with a 10% drop in the prevalence of cans and plastic bottles compared to the previous year. These two types of litter are now 60% less common than when the scheme was introduced in early 2024. 

Mayor of Waterford City and County, Cllr. Seamus Ryan welcomed the IBAL league results, saying, “Waterford city is proving time and time again that it is undoubtedly Ireland’s Cleanest city.  This most recent survey has highlighted not just the areas that are consistently clean, but the areas that have made significant improvements in their approach to becoming litter-free.”

“It takes a huge effort to retain this title, and I would like to commend Waterford City and County Council’s cleansing team, the many residents’ associations, Tidy Towns’ committees and local business groups for once again ensuring Waterford is the cleanest city in Ireland.”

Ella Ryan, Environmental Awareness Officer with Waterford City and County Council added, “The efforts and dedication of Council staff and volunteer groups have paid dividends, as Waterford can proudly claim to be a city that is cleaner than European norms.

“It is a title that we will strive to retain through collaborative efforts and a schedule of initiatives and programmes that encourage us all to have pride in a litter-free Waterford.”

Details of the most recent Irish Business against Litter Survey can be found at https://ibal.ie/anti-litter-league/