Tallaght is no longer featuring among Ireland’s weaker performers for litter, after the latest Irish Business Against Litter survey recorded lower litter levels across key locations in 2025.
The Southside town was among several urban areas nationwide to achieve clean status in IBAL’s annual rankings of 40 towns and cities, as lower litter levels across Dublin helped drive an overall improvement in cleanliness in Ireland in 2025.
The report praised the progress made in Tallaght, pointing to a range of locations that were found to be in particularly good condition during inspections.
“It is great to see Tallaght return to clean status,” the report stated. “We recognise the significant enhancement works that have been taken by South Dublin County Council – this has been reflected in some of the sites visited in the environs of Tallaght.”
Inspectors highlighted a number of top ranking sites, including Tallaght Village, the Square, County Hall and its surrounding areas, which were described as not only immaculate but exceptionally freshly presented and maintained.
The residential area of Glenview Park also received high marks, along with Sean Walsh Memorial Playground and Park, the industrial and business area of Fourth Avenue, and the Tallaght Luas stop.
According to the report, it was particularly encouraging to see strong grades recorded across a wide variety of location types, from residential and recreational areas to transport hubs and business districts.
However, the survey also identified locations in Tallaght that continue to require attention.
The Bring Centre at Tallaght Leisure Centre was described as one of the most heavily littered sites visited and has been cited in previous IBAL surveys.
A vacant site between Tallaght Enterprise Centre and Lidl was also found to present poorly, with accumulations of litter noted.
Elsewhere in South Dublin, Dún Laoghaire again performed well and was listed as clean to European norms.
Inspectors recorded a very good overall result for Dún Laoghaire, with seven top ranking sites identified.
These included George’s Street Lower, the DLR Lexicon and its environs, and the recently developed Myrtle Square town centre meeting space, which opened in November 2023.
The report noted that all elements of these environments were freshly presented and in very good order.
The most heavily littered site visited in Dún Laoghaire was Brock’s Lane.
While the laneway surface and paving were found to be in good condition, inspectors observed heavy littering, including casually discarded items and a bag of rubbish.
IBAL spokesperson Conor Horgan said the progress recorded across Dublin reflects targeted local authority investment and sustained enforcement, particularly in areas that have historically struggled with litter.
“The most pleasing finding of 2025 was the progress made in socially disadvantaged areas,” he said.
“Even areas at the foot of our rankings have significantly lower litter levels than a year ago.
“Cork’s north side, Dublin city centre and north inner city, while still littered, are cases in point.”
He said the investment being made by Dublin City Council appears to be delivering results and suggested that further improvements could follow if planned measures are fully implemented.
“The investment being made by Dublin City Council seems to be already paying fruit, and we are set to see further progress in 2026 if the Council comes good on its promise of replacing bags with bins across the city,” he said.
“This could be a landmark year in the fight against litter.”
Inspectors also noted a sharp reduction in large accumulations of litter and illegal dumping across the capital, continuing a trend observed in recent IBAL surveys.
However, the report cautioned that not all Dublin locations performed well and that problem areas remain.
Lower litter levels in the majority of Ireland’s cities were identified as a key factor behind the improvement in nationwide cleanliness in 2025.
The survey recorded a notable fall in the number of sites with large accumulations of litter or those subject to dumping.
“This continues a very welcome trend we’ve seen in recent surveys and credit must go to local authorities for ridding our environment of these litter blackspots,” Mr Horgan said.
For the first time since IBAL surveys began, no bottle bank was deemed a litter blackspot, a milestone the report described as significant.
The survey also found that the Deposit Return Scheme continues to have a positive impact on the cleanliness of towns and cities.
Inspectors recorded a 10 per cent drop in the prevalence of cans and plastic bottles compared to the previous year, with these items now 60 per cent less common than when the scheme was introduced in early 2024.
Coffee cups remained one of the most commonly found forms of litter and were evident in one fifth of all sites surveyed.
The prevalence of disposable vapes, which are set to be outlawed over the course of 2026, was found to be unchanged.
Overall, the report points to sustained improvements in litter management across Dublin and beyond, while underlining the need for continued enforcement and investment to ensure recent gains are maintained.