Positive litter report for Tallaght

TALLAGHT has been singled out in the latest IBAL Anti-Litter Survey report as “an excellent site” although littering at a pond in one of the local parks let the side down.

The Southside suburb was deemed to be clean to European norms in the recent Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) Anti-Litter League report, being placed joint 22nd out of a list of 40 towns and cities surveyed across the country.

The report stated that the high standards of previous surveys have been maintained at a number of sites in Tallaght Town Centre, Tallaght Village and Tallaght Luas Stop.

Sean Walsh Memorial Park in Tallaght was singled out in the report as an excellent site however littering at one of the ponds in the park was noted.

There was generally good news for Ireland’s principal tourist towns and cities which have been found to be cleaner than ever as the peak season for visitors approaches.

This is according to the latest survey by business group Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL), which showed Dublin, Galway and Cork city centres, Kilkenny and Killarney registering rec-ord levels of cleanliness.

Irish Business Against Litter was set up in 1996, as an alliance of companies sharing a belief that continued economic prosperity – notably in the areas of tourism, food and direct foreign investment – is contingent on a clean, litter-free environment.

 As part of the IBAL Anti-Litter League, An Taisce monitors towns independently and in accordance with international grading standards.

Litter levels were assessed in 40 towns and cities across the country by An Taisce, who found 31 of them, or 77 per cent to be clean.

Kilkenny topped the rankings for the fifth time, ahead of Athlone and Killarney, and the centres of the main cities of Dublin, Cork, Galway and Waterford which were all found cleaner than previously. 

“Tallaght’s positive showing in the recent IBAL anti-litter league report, having been deemed clean to European norms, is a credit to the work done on the ground by South Dublin County Council staff and the residents and business community in Tallaght,” the report states.

“Improved Public Realm and civic spaces including tactile paving, new energy efficient public lighting, tree planting and grass cutting were all listed as adding to the cleanliness of areas throughout the town,” added Teresa Walsh, Director of Environment, Water and Climate Change in South Dublin County Council.

“The council is con-stantly innovating and exploring additional measures to ensure we meet and exceed our targets when it comes to tackling litter.”

IBAL’s Conor Horgan said: “An indication of the progress we’ve made over past five years has been the absence of litter.”