Kildare Town named as second cleanest town the country in new survey

A new survey has revealed that Kildare Town is the second cleanest area in the country according to a new survey that was commissioned by the Irish Business Against Litter group.

The survey, which has monitored towns across the country since it was set up in 1996 by IBAL, found that Kilkenny City was once again the most litter free area of the country, but Kildare pushed into second alongside Enniscorthy in 2016. The area has been described as 'cleaner than European norms' by the officials who conducted the survey.

Maynooth also came out favourably in the findings, coming in at eighth place in the Irish table, though no other townlands in Kildare featured in the top 40.

According to IBAL, litter is a symptom of social neglect, and councils need to look at a community-wide response targeting those areas where the problem is at its worst. “Work at keeping these areas clean for six to twelve months and they are likely to stay clean, and the community can have pride in their neighbourhood,“ says Conor Horgan of IBAL.

“That does cost money initially, but the payback will be significant.” “This underlines the need to ensure that in our new house-building programme we don’t replicate the mistakes of the past and ensure the 50,000 new homes planned by 2021 are built as communities, with mixed incomes, proper infrastructure and most of all are places that people have pride in - good for communities and good for business.”

While litter is subsiding, evidence suggests dumping is rising. The business group concurs with the principle behind the mandatory pay-by-weight collection system, due for introduction next year, but fears that it will inevitably lead to more dumping. “We would be especially concerned that the experience of this summer will set the public against the charges when they come in next year. This can only be harmful to our environment.”

The survey showed sweet papers as once again the most common form of litter on our streets, followed by fast food wrappers, cigarette butts and chewing gum. There was a rise in the prevalence of cans and plastic bottles.