Finishing as runners-up, Roscommon town has claimed its highest ever ranking in the Irish Business Against Litter League, the results of which were announced earlier this week.
Set up in 1996, Irish Business Against Litter is an alliance of companies sharing a belief that continued economic prosperity – notably in the areas of tourism, food and direct foreign investment – is contingent on a clean, litter-free environment.
Roscommon town was one of five towns from 40 areas nationwide shortlisted for the award, eventually claiming second spot behind Kildare town.
Nine out of ten of the locations around the town surveyed received a top litter rating in what is a tremendous achievement for local volunteers and the local authority.
The nine locations to receive a ‘Grade A’ were: Loughnaneane Park and Roscommon Castle; the access path to Loughnaneane Park; Main Street; St. Ciaran’s Park; Recycle Bank at Tesco; Harrison Centre; L1812 Curraghboy approach road; derelict premises on Church Street and the R366 approach road. The N63 road to Longford received a ‘Grade B’.
Cllr. Kathleen Shanagher, Chairperson of Roscommon Tidy Towns, was delighted with the announcement but urged Roscommon town residents to redouble efforts in order to maintain the high standard.
“It was good to be in the top five but to finish in second place is great. Maintaining that now is the next thing and this is very important as this is judged throughout the year. We never know when the judges are here,” she said.
Cllr Shanagher also paid glowing tribute to those who had worked hard in order to maintain the town.
“The County Council, Tidy Towns, Chamber of Commerce and local residents have been fantastic and we are fortunate that we all work well together,” she said, before singling out Roscommon County Council litter warden Annette Donlon and outdoor staff for special praise.
“The outdoor staff are fantastic and of course our litter warden, Annette. I was also delighted to hear that Michael Ryan is back in the van too! Of course the hard work of the volunteers in Tidy Towns is important also.”
Highlighting the importance of maintaining Roscommon’s clean status, Cllr. Shanagher appealed to local people to make that extra effort to keep their areas tidy.
“This is good for the town and it’s important for tourism and in order to attract people into the town. When people hear that Roscommon is a clean area then they may make more of an effort to come to the town.
“I’d urge people to look after their own areas and that way we can keep Roscommon tidy,” she said.
Cllr. Shanagher also took the opportunity to highlight the issue of public bins in the town being used for household waste and urged homeowners to dispose of waste responsibly.
Politicians hail IBAL win
Local public representatives have welcomed news of Roscommon town’s recent Irish Business Against Litter League success. The town claimed its highest ever finish, taking runners-up spot behind Kildare town.
The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Denis Naughten has praised the people of Roscommon and the local authority for their hard work.
“I have been honoured over the past six months to have been invited by a number of Roscommon schools to raise green flags which has demonstrated to me the commitment of pupils, staff and the wider community of the county to tackling environmental issues including litter, and the outcome of this survey serves only to confirm that this is indeed the case. Ultimately this achievement reflects the actions of the people of Roscommon town who, in ensuring that they dispose of waste and litter properly, help to preserve and protect the environment for all of us to enjoy. Warmest congratulations to all involved, and keep up the good work in Roscommon in 2017,” he said.
Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice described the success as “a tribute to the great work carried out by the tidy towns group”.
He added: “The local authority and the business community along with the local tidy towns group have worked very hard on this over the years and they have been rewarded with second place out of a total of 40 areas nationwide that were surveyed this year which is a tremendous achievement.”
