The final litter survey of 2020 by business group Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL), which took place in December, shows Roscommon failing to attain clean status, falling to 20th place in the ranking of 37 towns and cities. Kilkenny retained top spot, ahead of Killarney and Ennis.
According to An Taisce’s report, two litter blackspots, the bottle bank at Tesco and a laneway off Main Street (leading down to Matrix Gym and Boyle Sports) contributed to Roscommon town losing its clean status.
The report said that the recycling facility, which had been highlighted on numerous occasions before, was “particularly poor” this time around.
Reacting to the report, Chairperson of Roscommon Tidy Towns Association, Cllr. Kathleen Shanagher, called on members of the public to play their part in keeping the town clean.
“It is the same areas that are letting us down all the time. Roscommon County Council are getting the bottle banks at Tesco emptied as often as possible but it’s down to people dumping rubbish there. If the banks are full I would ask people to take bottles and other items away and return again at a later date. Leaving bottles there on the ground or in boxes is dumping,” she said.
Cllr. Shanagher said the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions have had an impact, however.
“Roscommon County Council staff are restricted and I’m not going to be telling members of the Tidy Towns to go out when we’re supposed to staying at home. The Tús workers aren’t working either and many local business people aren’t going into their businesses and therefore can’t clean up outside or keep an eye out for litter.
“I would encourage members of the public to report any incidents of dumping to me or online at www.roscommoncoco.ie so that we can keep the town as clean as possible,” she said.
Cllr. Shanagher added that while the recent survey was disappointing overall, there was some positive news regarding two areas in the town.
“Both Hawthorn Drive and Loughnaneane Park received ‘A’ ratings. The local residents at Hawthorn Drive deserve great praise for the work they do in keeping that area tidy.
“Our local Tidy Towns group will take the report on board and work closely with Roscommon County Council as we plan ahead for the National Tidy Towns competition this summer. We are already looking forward to getting back out there and completing a number of projects this year,” she concluded.
Overall, litter levels have risen in 24 of the 37 towns and cities inspected by An Taisce, resulting in only 17 being judged to be clean – a fall of over 25% on last summer and in sharp contrast to just three years ago, when 80% were clean.
IBAL spokesperson Conor Horgan, said: “Covid is clearly a factor here, but we should never accept litter as inevitable. It comes down to people disposing of their waste without regard for their surroundings or their fellow citizens and it is entirely unnecessary”.
The survey saw a marked increase in PPE litter – primarily facemasks – and also suggested reluctance among usually civic-minded people to pick up litter during the Covid-19 pandemic.
