It’s a dirty auld town

BALLYMUN and the North Inner City are almost bottom of the list when comes to litter levels in Ireland, according to a survey published by Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) last week. 

The two Northside areas finished 37th and 38th in a list of 40 areas nationwide with Ballymun described as ‘littered’ and the North Inner City as ‘seriously littered’.

Ballymun’s designation in the survey carried out by An Taisce on behalf of IBAL was met with disappointment but defiance by the hard-working Ballymun Tidy Towns team.

“The report today about Ballymun being a litter hot spot will not stop us,” a post of the group’s Facebook page reads. “It will only make us stronger.

“There’s lots of politicians commenting today and rightly so but we need action not their words or photos. We have a clean up every week. A small few help. Litter has got out of control and we all need to work together to deal with it.”

Local Sinn Fein councillor and supporter of the local Tidy Towns team, Noeleen Reilly, said it was “very disappointing” to see Ballymun highlighted as a blackspot for litter.

“I don’t think it is reflective of the hard work residents have put in over the last year in approving the area,” she said.

“It also does not take account of the fantastic work done by Ballymun Tidy Towns over many years in keeping the area clean and tidy.

“However the report carried out by An Taisce does highlight the need that more needs to be done to tackle illegal dumping.”

The result for Ballymun was a deterioration over last year’s survey. According to the new report the Recycle Facility on Ballymun Road had not improved and Gateway Crescent and the Car Park at Ballymun Town Centre were littered.

The report also states that Balbutcher Lane was characterised by dumping. 

The three top ranking sites in Ballymun were Axis Centre, Civic Amenity Centre, Virgin Mary School and Poppintree Park, with the latter described as an exceptionally good site that was not just clear of litter but wonderfully presented and maintained. 

The report also said that with a little extra effort local sites deemed ‘Grade B’ such as Ballymun Sports and Fitness Centre, Main Street and CDETB Ballymun could easily get the top grade. 

The report on the North Inner City was worse than Ballymun with are area described as ‘seriously littered’. The report said that despite Dublin City Council’s efforts there was a rise in litter levels with Sheriff Street Lr, Gardiner Lane and Railway Street all deemed litter blackspots,

There was also a sharp fall in the number of litter-free sites.

However, there was some improvement noted at a few sites such as Buckingham Street and the Canal Walk from Summerhill Parade to Croke Park. 

In other areas around the capital, Dublin City Centre was described as ‘moderately littered’ in the report while Dublin Airport Environs was deemed ‘cleaner than European norms’ and ranked ninth in the list.

Of the Southside areas surveyed, Tallaght and Stillorgan were both deemed ‘cleaner than European norms’.

IBAL’s Conor Horgan says the report illustrates how dumping is at the heart of Ireland’s litter problem.

“The problem is becoming less about cleaning up after kids have dropped sweet papers on the main street,“ he explained.

“It’s about people deliberately and covertly evading bin charges by illegally disposing of their rubbish on wasteland or derelict sites, which then become magnets for all sorts of litter.

“Dumping needs to be higher on the political agenda, as it’s an issue that really matters to people, and to our economy.”