The latest litter survey by business group Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL ) shows Galway City Centre again clean, but falling to 26th spot in the ranking of 40 cities and towns. Ballinasloe is in fifth spot, while Ballybane has improved from littered to moderately littered in 32nd.
The An Taisce report on Galway city centre stated that there has been a slight slip in its ranking, with just under half the sites surveyed getting the top litter grade and a number of heavily littered sites.
“While the Town Hall Theatre was very much deserving of the top litter grade, Galway Court House was heavily littered. Galway Prom was very well presented with a number of ‘anti-litter’ campaigns. Residential areas of Fánán and Corrach Buí presented well. Heavily littered sites included the Recycle Bank on Western Distributor Road, Galway Rovers Sports and Social Club and Galway Regional Hospital – the latter has been highlighted in many previous IBAL surveys.
Excellent for Ballinasloe
The An Taisce report on Ballinasloe stated: “An excellent result for Ballinasloe on its return to the league, with all sites scoring either a Grade A or B, with no heavily littered sites. Top ranking sites included Ballinasloe Harbour / Marina, where all elements were in very good order; Ballinasloe Horse Fair Monument & Environs and the residential area of Willow Park.”
The An Taisce report on Ballybane stated: “Big strides have been made in Ballybane – this time around there were six top ranking sites, one of Ballybane’s highest – the recent infrastructure / enhancement works have certainly started to pay dividends e.g. Ballybane Road / Castlepark Road / Monivea Road. St. Bridget’s Church was much improved compared to previous IBAL surveys. Ballybane Industrial Estate and Bring Centre at Ballybane Road were in poor shape with regards to litter / dumping. By far the most heavily littered site surveyed in Ballybane was Castle Park & playing fields – this wasn’t just littered but subject to monumental dumping and long-term neglect.
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.”
Bottles and cans
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 IBALsurveys.
