Ballybane has officially been named Ireland’s dirtiest town of 2022, according to a survey published by Irish Businesses Against Litter (IBAL).
The report noted that the Galway suburb was home to several litter blackspots, with the village scoring particularly low.
Ballybane’s Industrial Estate was described as suffering from “a considerable air of neglect” in a press release on the survey’s findings.
The survey, which is run in collaboration with environmental agency An Taisce, also noted that the levels of PPE-related waste on Irish streets were declining. The dumping of face masks was also observed as a problem in both the 2020 and 2021 reports.
However, used coffee cups are becoming increasingly prevalent in local areas, with IBAL recommending that fines be introduced to address this trend.
Drogheda was another town that scored poorly overall, coming second to Ballybane in the report.
However, some areas, including Drogheda’s train station, received high grades in terms of cleanliness.
Ballybane and Drogheda were the only two towns on the league table classified as “seriously littered”.
Naas, meanwhile, came top of the rankings for the second year in a row. The Kildare town narrowly beat Letterkenny and Cavan for the top spot on the list.
IBAL surveyed 40 towns and found that over two thirds of participants could be considered clean.
Another positive finding was the 50 per cent decrease in litter blackspots nationwide, with cities such as Dublin, Limerick and Galway commended for improving on standards since last year’s survey.
IBAL’s annual litter reports have been conducted since 2002, with dramatic improvements occurring in featured towns since their introduction.
Only 10 per cent of all participants were considered to be level with European standards of cleanliness in 2022- this figure now stands at 75 per cent.
The organisation has also commissioned An Taisce to conduct surveys examining litter levels in beaches, rivers and harbours in recent years.
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter
