ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Ireland's town centres are getting cleaner after Covid-19, according to a new study.

Cleaning schedules are returning to normal, fewer items of PPE are being discarded and there is less alcohol being consumed outdoors. As a result there has been a reduction in the amount of litter on the country's streets, claims Business Against Litter.

The body's 2022 survey ranked 40 Irish towns and cities in terms of the quantity of rubbish found strewn on their streets.

According to the study, the amount of PPE litter being discarded has decreased since last year with particularly significant improvements noted in Dublin. However, some city centres were still found to be heavily littered and the authors felt higher standards were required - particularly during the tourist season.

Drogheda and Ballybane in Galway's inner city both came out as the worst places in Ireland for litter, ranking as "seriously littered". Last year Dublin's north inner city was found to be a "litter blackspot" but has since cleaned up significantly. The current top five areas for cleanliness are Naas, Letterkenny, Cavan, Athlone and Longford, all of which have litter levels described as being better than European norms.

"With cleaning schedules back to normal, less PPE litter and less alcohol consumption outdoors, litter levels have fallen," said Business Against Litter spokesman Conor Horgan.

"However despite improvements, the centres of our main cities are still being littered at a time when we are welcoming our peak tourist numbers. For a high-cost destination, higher standards are required."