The latest litter survey by business group Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) shows Ennis again deemed ‘Clean’, falling slightly from 19th to 15th in the ranking of 40 cities and towns.
Sligo again topped the IBAL ranking, with Limerick City Centre the only area branded ‘littered’.
The An Taisce report on Ennis stated: Former IBAL winner Ennis has dipped somewhat in the IBAL ranking, with just five sites out of ten surveyed getting the top litter grade. O’Connell Street, particularly towards the recently enhanced O’Connell Square, was looking very well and very much deserved the top litter grade. Place St. Paul De Fenouillet / Clare Museum was a welcoming and attractive environment for visitors to Ennis.
Abbey Street Car Park is more than a car park – seating and planted areas make for a place to relax. A vacant site on Bank Place has suffered from abuse and neglect – it will only deteriorate if not addressed. There were heavy litter levels at the ‘unmanned’ services area for Tyre / Water at Certa, Tulla Road.
No town or city occupied the “seriously littered” or “litter blackspot” categories at the foot of the IBAL table. Overall litter levels were on a par with last year, with 27 towns deemed clean. Sligo finished ahead of Monaghan and Leixlip, with Waterford – again Ireland’s cleanest city – in 4th spot.
“As the peak season for tourist visitors approaches, we have fewer littered areas than we’ve had at any time in the last 25 years,” commented IBAL’s Conor Horgan. Once again, the study showed a low number of very heavily littered sites among the 500-plus sites surveyed compared to previous years. “The job’s not done, but across the country, local authorities appear to have upped their game when it comes to tackling persistently littered sites and dumping in our towns and cities.”
Plastic bottle and can litter was found in 19% and 22% respectively of sites surveyed – the highest levels since the Deposit Return Scheme was introduced. “If we had hoped that the DRS would see this litter disappear from our streets, it’s not happening,” says Conor Horgan.
“15c or 25c does not appear enough to incentivise some people to return a bottle or can. That said, by reducing this litter by 50%-plus, the scheme’s impact on overall cleanliness levels is beyond dispute.”
The prevalence of coffee cups was at its highest level since 2023, making it one of the main sources of litter on our streets, behind sweet papers, fast food wrappers, plastic bags and cigarette butts. “Talk of a ‘latte levy’ has all but vanished, yet coffee cup litter clearly has not. The Government inaction on this persistent problem is baffling.”
The study also revealed a significant increase in cigarette butt litter compared to 2025. IBAL warns that butts are not only unsightly, but are a toxic single-use plastic that can contaminate the marine and land environment.
An Taisce receives funding from the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (through the Circular Economy Fund) to support the undertaking of IBAL surveys.
