'Never looked better' - Exceptional result for Tullamore in IBAL litter survey

Tullamore has received an exceptional result in the IBAL (Irish Business Against Litter Survey).

The town has jumped two places to 7th since last January and is ranked in the top ten cleanest out of the 40 towns inspected in Ireland.

The An Taisce Report stated the town is now ''Cleaner than European Norms''. The majority of the sites surveyed got the top litter grade with no sites heavily littered.

Councillor Shane Murray, the Chair of Tullamore Tidy Towns Association was delighted with the result adding that the town has ''never looked better.''

''It's great news. It's a team effort we couldn't do it without the county council outdoor staff led by Jason Lee. We wouldn't be able to get to where we are otherwise. We had four people along the canal at the weekend litter picking. Tullamore Canoe Club look after the canal for us. They are the new custodians of the canal and it makes a world of difference. The lads in the water push the waste onto the banks. We go up with long pickers and we bag them,'' said Cllr Murray.

He thanked Monica Cleary and Joe Dooley at Offaly County Council, for the great work they do. He also paid tribute to people who litter pick twice a week, he especially mentioned Richard Jack and Ann Slevin. ''We have a great core team. I am very lucky I just happen to be chair at this time.''

Examples of top ranking sites included ‘Tullamore Food Fayre’ at Kilcruttin Business Park, Main Street and Grand Canal Way at Lock 27. The survey described the latter as ''a lovely waterside environment where further enhancement works are taking place.''

R421 / Arden Road: Grade A. An excellent approach route in terms of presentation and maintenance, creating a positive first impression of Tullamore. Light touch maintenance with simple strip mowing of the grassy verge. It was excellent with regards to litter.

Grand Canal Way at Lock 27: Grade A. A lovely waterside amenity with enhancement works underway – there was no litter directly associated with the works. The new paving looks very well. There was a small amount of litter next to the derelict house on the north side of the canal next to Lock 27, but overall, this site was very much deserving of the top litter grade.

Tullamore Train Station: Grade B. The station building and associated outdoor signage / seating / bicycle parking etc were well presented, with no litter issues at the big car park at the back of the station. Most of the litter was close to the entrance, along the paving, at the base of the bicycle parking. Items were primarily food related, with some cigarette butts and train tickets.

‘Tullamore Food Fayre’ in Kilcruttin Business Park: Grade A. It would seem that this atmospheric food market is set up in an otherwise ‘disused’ building. There were no litter issues in the immediate area of the market or access to the same via Kilcruttin Business Park.

R443 Link Road: Grade A. Road surface / markings / signage and bollards were freshly presented along this route. Apart from some cigarette butts, it was very good with regards to litter. The area directly outside the school was particularly clear.

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Deposit Return Scheme, Lidl: Grade A. There was no litter in the immediate environs of this large ‘in-store’ facility. The ground, just in front of the facility was dirty, perhaps from surplus / spilt liquids. Some versions of the Deposit Return Scheme have a ‘surplus liquid’ feature.

Main Street: Grade A. The tree planting / open paved area, bollards and flower beds looked very well. The overall impression created along the Main Street was a very positive one.

O’Connor Square: Grade B+. This large ‘town centre’ space looked very well with lovely paving, tree planting, wooden seating etc. However, there was a notable cigarette presence throughout. If it wasn’t for the very obvious butt presence, this would have been a top ranking site.

Bridge Lane: Grade B. The main litter items were cigarette butts, with lower levels of broken glass, sweet papers and chewing gum. Graffiti was very much a feature on several surfaces, including a stretch of colourful wall mural.

Clonminch Approach Road: Grade A. There were no visible litter issues along this approach road, with lush vegetation along both sides.