Top ten position for Roscommon in IBAL litter rankings

The latest litter survey by business group Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) shows Carrick-on-Shannon inside the top five in the ranking of 40 cities and towns, with Roscommon Town improving to 10th position and Longford town up to 14th. Sligo again topped the IBAL ranking, with Limerick City Centre the only area branded ‘littered’.

Roscommon Town has now been designated ‘Clean to European Norms’ while Carrick-on-Shannon has been deemed ‘Cleaner than European Norms'.

The An Taisce report on Roscommon town stated: “An excellent result for Roscommon, with seven out of the ten sites surveyed getting the top litter grade and just one heavily littered site. A few top ranking sites deserve special mention: the Main Street was looking very well, with lovely paving, planter boxes and covered seating area; Loughnaneane Park was very much deserving of the top litter grade – it was excellent with regards to litter and the playground / PE equipment were in very good condition; Roscommon Castle was exceptionally clear of litter, with all aspects of the visitor attraction in very good condition. By far the most heavily littered site surveyed is one which has blighted the town for a number of years – the wasteland adjacent to the Recycle Bank. We recognise that Roscommon County Council made strides to address this with the owner but seemingly to no avail."

The An Taisce report on Carrick-on-Shannon noted: “An excellent result for Carrick on Shannon, with seven out of the ten sites surveyed getting the top litter grade. These included the Main Street, which has been recently enhanced with lovely paving and tree planting – it was also spotless. The town clock and environs has been very attractively presented and maintained – it looked very well. The Town Park (West) was very much deserving of the top litter grade. By far the most heavily littered site surveyed in Carrick on Shannon was the Recycle Bank at Rosebank Retail Park – it wasn’t just the loose litter items at the base of the units, but discarded items, not associated with the use of the facility which brought down the overall litter grade.” 

No town or city occupied the “seriously littered” or “litter blackspot” categories at the foot of the IBAL table. Overall litter levels were on a par with last year, with 27 towns deemed clean. Sligo finished ahead of Monaghan and Leixlip, with Waterford – again Ireland’s cleanest city – in fourth spot.

“As the peak season for tourist visitors approaches, we have fewer littered areas than we’ve had at any time in the last 25 years,” commented IBAL’s Conor Horgan. 

Once again, the study showed a low number of very heavily littered sites among the 500-plus sites surveyed compared to previous years. “The job’s not done, but across the country, local authorities appear to have upped their game when it comes to tackling persistently littered sites and dumping in our towns and cities.” 

Plastic bottle and can litter was found in 19% and 22% respectively of sites surveyed - the highest levels since the Deposit Return Scheme was introduced. “If we had hoped that the DRS would see this litter disappear from our streets, it’s not happening,” says Conor Horgan.

 “The 15c or 25c does not appear enough to incentivise some people to return a bottle or can. That said, by reducing this litter by 50%-plus, the scheme’s impact on overall cleanliness levels is beyond dispute.” 

The prevalence of coffee cups was at its highest level since 2023, making it one of the main sources of litter on our streets, behind sweet papers, fast food wrappers, plastic bags and cigarette butts. “Talk of a ‘latte levy’ has all but vanished, yet coffee cup litter clearly has not. The Government inaction on this persistent problem is baffling.” 

The study also revealed a significant increase in cigarette butt litter compared to 2025.

IBAL warns that butts are not only unsightly, but are a toxic single-use plastic that can contaminate the marine and land environment.