Portlaoise Ranked Ireland Cleanest Town: IBAL

2 Kildare towns ranked in the top 10.

Portlaoise is the cleanest town in the country while Leixlip has ranked 2nd, and Naas comes 8th.
 

Naas 8th in the country. This required a lot of hard work by Tidy Towns and Kildare coco.
Well done all. And congrats to Leixlip in 2nd place. #ibal @NaasTidyTowns @KildareCoCo pic.twitter.com/6lnnj7RqWc

— Councillor Bill Clear (@billclear45) October 18, 2021

The first post-lockdown survey by Irish Business Against Litter finds 68 per cent of towns registered improvements last year.

For the first time since 2014, Dublin’s North Inner City is deemed a litter blackspot, while Limerick City South - Galvone was heavily littered.

IBAL spokesperson, Conor Horgan says Portlaoise has done brilliantly to come out on top:

Latest IBAL litter survey results: how is your town doing?https://t.co/j3vUGAqXc6#litterleague pic.twitter.com/3JQKw3Yiyg

— Irish Business Against Litter (@IrishLitter) October 17, 2021

Conor Horgan outlines which areas apart from Portlaoise have seen the most improvement

Conor Horgan joined Clem Ryan and Ciara Noble on Monday's edition of Kildare Today

IBAL has released this report on Leixlip:

Leixlip: 2nd out of 40 towns / cities surveyed. Cleaner than European Norms.
Leixlip has made spectacular return to the IBAL League, with only one littered site. With so many top-ranking sites, there are a few which deserve special mention. Leixlip Spa & Waterfall – Royal Canal was beautifully laid out, with a complete absence of litter along the pathway and
associated planting. The River Bank had attractive features, including lovely, patterned paving and flower planting in a former canoe. Clearly a careful eye is kept on any closed down / vacant premises as there was no litter directly associated with them along The Mall or Captain’s Hill.
A feature that was noted at a few different locations were the great visitor / historical information notices e.g., Leixlip Spa & Waterfall, Captain’s Hill and Leixlip Train Station.

Leixlip Spa & Waterfall - Royal Canal: Grade A. There was excellent visitor information signage for this wonderful water / waterside feature. Pedestrian paving was in good order and there was some nice planting beside the path. There was a complete absence of litter throughout the pathway and there were no visible litter items in the water.

Leixlip Train Station: Grade A. The train station was very well presented with car park surface, markings, signage in good order, as was the platform environment. Historical information relating to ‘Louisa Train Station & Railway’ with interesting illustrations and photographs looked very well. There
were no litter issues throughout the station.

Lucan Approach Road: Grade A. The green fencing along this route was in very good condition and the overall impression created was a good one. Road surface, markings and signage were in excellent order.

River Bank: Grade A. A lovely feature was the colourful planting in the former canoe – a simple concept, but very effective. Paving, seating, hanging baskets, grasslands, historical visitor information etc. all presented very well. There was a virtual absence of litter throughout the area surveyed.

The Mall: Grade A. This main shopping street has been beautifully presented with features very much in keeping with the many old buildings e.g., paving, street lamps, bollards etc. The overall impression was of a very clean and tidy environment. (See separate reference to closed down / boarded up properties along The Mall)

Derelict buildings, The Mall: Grade A. There were five adjoining buildings, one of which was boarded up and painted, taking away the bare look. Bord Failte signage indicated that Major William Francis Roantree, Fenian Leader was born at this site. The other properties presented quite poorly but clearly a careful eye is kept on all these properties as there was no litter directly associated with them. Based on the 2020 planning application notices, perhaps there is room for some optimism about their future state.

Captain’s Hill: Grade A. Very good visitor information notice along Captain’s Hill. The street presented well with attractive paving, street bollards & bins, picnic tables, planter boxes etc. There were some closed down / vacant premises, but they didn’t impact negatively on the litter situation.

R148 Confey Approach Road: Grade A. A clean and tidy approach road, no litter issues noted. Road surface, paving and verges were in good order.

Bring Centre, Lidl Car Park: Grade B. The bin units presented well, flush against a wall, preventing items being stuffed behind them. Instead, items had been discarded beside them, mostly clothing, with bottle tops on the ground. Large signage (appeared very new) was in very good condition, indicating CCTV may be used, complete with QR code to report illegal dumping / or if they banks are full. At the bottom of the signage is another QR code, reminding people to Mind your Mental Health by drinking
less.

R148 Celbridge Approach Road: Grade A. A very good first impression was created along this route.

IBAL has released this report on Naas:

Naas: 8th out of 40 towns / cities surveyed. Cleaner than European Norms.

Naas was a top ten performer when last included in the IBAL league and on its return it has maintained this high standard. There were many top-ranking sites, including the Blessington and Newbridge Approach Roads, Poplar Square, The Well Lane Walk & Park and North Main
Street. What sets these and other top-ranking sites apart is not just the lack of litter but the overall presentation and maintenance of same. By far the most heavily littered site surveyed in Naas was The Bring Centre at Fair Green – it wasn’t just casually littered but black sacks had been abandoned in front of the units.

R410 Blessington Approach Road: Grade A. A very neat and tidy route, creating a positive first impression of Naas. It was immaculate throughout. This very high standard was maintained for many of the remaining sites surveyed.

R447 Newbridge Approach Road: Grade A. There was a virtual absence of litter along this route.Colourful hanging baskets along the railings at a junction were an attractive feature.

The Harbour View: Grade B. This waterside environment was quite good but let down by alcohol related litter, both bottle and cans. Both of these items can very easily be recycled. A fenced off area close-by has the potential to become littered but clearly a careful eye is kept on it. Marine themed wall murals take away the bare look of another surface. Seating and bollards were in good order.

The Well Lane Walk and Park: Grade A. Visitor information signage presented well, and the overall impression created at this park environment was a good one with regard to litter. A black and green wooden seat presented poorly, much of the paint was worn away. Perhaps a greater emphasis could be given to providing dog fouling signage / facilities?

Ballymore Approach Road: Grade A. There were no visible litter issues along this route. Bollards and paving were in good order.

Bring Centre, Fair Green: Grade C. As well as loose litter within the immediate vicinity of the Bring Centre, there were some discarded black sacks to the front of the units.

Derelict Building, Fairgreen Street: Grade A. Clearly a careful eye is kept on the long abandoned premises as there was no litter directly associated with it. It does present very poorly and take away from the overall streetscape.

Poplar Square: Grade A. The reconfiguration of this environment has resulted in a lovely outdoor space with seating, dining, colourful planting, paving, bollards etc. in very good condition. There was a virtual absence of litter throughout.

North Main Street: Grade A. Apart from some face-masks and cigarette butts, this was a very clean environment. Outdoor dining area was adorned with colourful flower boxes.

Moat Mall: Grade A. This outdoor shopping mall was excellent with regard to litter. Colourful planting was a welcome addition to the built environment.