Tullamore clean to European norms but let down by two areas in the town

Tullamore has been ranked Clean to European Norms in the latest IBAL (Irish Business Against Litter) report.

Inspectors from An Taisce who carry out the survey said there were many ''top-ranking'' sites in the town and some deserved special mention for their spick and span appearance.

One was the residential area of The Hawthorns which the adjudicators said ''wasn’t just excellent with regards to litter but very freshly presented and maintained.''

O’Connor Square was also highlighted and described in the report as ''a lovely town centre environment where great care has been taken with the presentation of the streetscape e.g., paving, planting, seating, etc. and it was exceptionally clean site.''

Improvements were also noted at Lock 27 on the Canal Greenway. However, the inspectors commented that ''the derelict site continues to attract litter, bringing down the litter grade.''

By far the most heavily littered site surveyed in Tullamore was the Recycle Bring Centre on Daingean Road – it had been subject to dumping, as was ''heavily littered'' Offaly Street.

A surprise finding of the IBAL study was the rise in coffee cup litter, which is now close to peak-Covid levels. Coffee cups were found at over 30% of the 500+ sites surveyed. ''We are concerned at potential delays in introducing a coffee cup levy,'' says Conor Horgan on behalf of IBAL. ''We believe this action is needed to stamp out a product which is out of step with the circular economy. Irrespective of how recyclable or compostable take-away cups are, these statistics show too many of them are ending up on our streets.'' IBAL says Killarney has benefited from having banned single-use cups last year, a move embraced by the community.

IBAL has welcomed the introduction next month of the Deposit Return Scheme as a potential game-changer in the fight against litter, much as the plastic bag levy was. The scheme will see consumers pay a deposit of 15 cent on cans and up to 25 cent on plastic bottles, refundable on their return. ''This latest survey shows these items to be present in just under half of the hundreds of sites we surveyed. This scheme will remove a large portion of this litter and bring about a significantly cleaner environment in 2024. While there may be some inconvenience for consumers, the prize is a very real, and a very immediate one.''

There was another significant rise in the prevalence of disposable vapes, highlighted previously as an emerging source of litter. These were found in more than 10% of all sites covered.

2023 marked the 21st anniversary of the IBAL Anti-Litter League.

IBAL has provided us with a breakdown of the various streets and roads and their inspectors overall impressions.

Arden Approach Road: Grade A. Road surface / markings / signage were in good condition and the overall impression created along this route was not only welcoming but also an excellent one.

The Hawthorns: Grade A. This residential area is a template for a Grade A site. It was exceptionally freshly presented and maintained. There was a complete absence of litter throughout. Communal grass area was well cared for and there was the appearance of house-proud residents.

O’Connor Square: Grade A. The streetscape at this town centre environment was excellent e.g., paving, seating, tree planting, bicycle parking, planter boxes etc. and the painting of the electricity type box takes away the ‘bare’ look. The area is well served by litter bins. It was an exceptionally clean and tidy site.

Recycle Bring Centre on Daingean Road: Grade D. This facility wasn’t just a littered one – it was subject to dumping to the rear of the units. A large number of large bags had been discarded to the rear of the recycle units. The area to the front of the units was untidy / littered.

Bring Centre at St Kyrnan's Street: Grade A. A very freshly presented and maintained ‘Bring Facility’, all aspects of which were in good order. There were no litter / dumping issues. Some of the signage relating to the use of the facility was obscured by heavy vegetational growth.

Dunnes Stores Shopping Centre: Grade A. This site was very much deserving of the top litter grade – all aspects were in good order e.g., car park surface / planting / shrubs etc.

Columcille Street: Grade A. The paving, large scale tree planter boxes, silver bollards and the combined litter / recycle bins go a long way towards the overall impression created along Columcille Street. It was immaculate throughout.

Offaly Street: Grade C+. The overall impression along this street was an untidy and unattended one.

There was a multitude of litter items just beneath the ‘No Dumping’ signage. Overall, a significantly littered site, subject to some dumping at the derelict / vacant sites.

Cappincur / Daingean Road Approach: Grade A. A freshly presented route, enhanced by some colourful planter boxes. It was characterised by tidy verges and litter free kerbs.

Lock 27 on Canal Walk: Grade B. A much-improved site compared to previous surveys. However, there was still a definite litter presence around the derelict building and the hedgerow on the same side as the derelict building.