As the National Spring Clean celebrates 25 years, An Taisce is calling on communities in County Clare to come together and tackle Ireland’s litter problem to protect biodiversity and help fight climate change.
To date there have been over 3,100 registrations nationally. In County Clare, almost 140 clean-up events are registered to take place this spring, but registrations will remain open throughout the month of April for those still interested in participating in the campaign.
Ireland’s largest anti-litter campaign, the National Spring Clean is operated by the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce in partnership with Local Authorities and supported by the Department of Environment, Communications and Climate Environment and Mars Wrigley Ireland.
This year marks 25 years of the campaign, which has seen the removal of an estimated 47,500 tonnes of litter from Irish streets, parks, coastlines, thanks to over 12 million volunteer hours.
A key focus of this year’s campaign will be highlighting the impact that a circular economy model can have on reducing waste and reducing our climate impact. Last year alone, 35% of all waste collected during the National Spring Clean was recycled, thanks to recyclable waste bags provided to registered groups and individuals.
Minister of State at the Environment, Climate and Communications, Ossian Smyth TD, said: “It is always fantastic to see the strong community spirit and ambition to make a positive contribution to the local environment, from the volunteers who participate in An Taisce’s National Spring Clean. The success of the campaign over the past 25 years has been remarkable, and I am optimistic that this year that will see people out in record numbers helping to make a positive impact in their local communities.”
National Spring Clean Manager, Emlyn Cullen, commented: “This is an important year for An Taisce as we celebrate 25 years of the National Spring Clean. We’re proud to say that over the past 25 years, almost 47,500 tonnes of litter has been collected, thanks to the enormous effort of our dedicated volunteers. As we mark our 25th anniversary, we hope this year will be our biggest yet. So far, the numbers of volunteers already registered is huge but there’s still time for people to register online and get involved this year.”
Photo: Keith Arkins
Anne Sheeran Corporate Affairs Specialist at Mars added: Mars Wrigley Ireland is proud to support the 25th National Spring Clean, which inspires individuals to come together and make a positive impact on the biodiversity of their communities through collecting hundreds of tonnes of litter each year. We hope the 2024 campaign delivers another year of record success!”
To make sure that each community clean up can run as smoothly as possible the National Spring Clean has also provided various downloadable information packs on their website for their volunteers to read. The clean-up information pack containing details on how to organise an event, health and safety information, litter facts, useful contacts, media and publicity advice, a guide on how to recycle and information on litter and the law.
An Taisce’s National Spring Clean is inviting people to visit the website www.nationalspringclean.org and register for a free clean-up kit.