Latest news with #TidyTowns
Irish Independent
a day ago
- General
- Irish Independent
Frustration at increase in littering in Enniscorthy in lead-up to Tidy Towns competition
According to group Chairman Jonathon Hughes, members of the group have been greatly dismayed at the recent surge in illegal dumping and littering around the town – not only increasing their workload, but putting them in an unfavourable position before the upcoming judging assessment of the Supervalu Tidy Towns competition. 'We are seeing more and more households and businesses with overflowing bins. Some people are also dumping household waste beside bins.' "This is really disappointing to see and could be the difference between silver and gold in the Tidy Towns competition. If an adjudicator finds this – what impression does this show?' he asked. The Supervalu Tidy Towns competition is adjudicated by an independent panel during the months of June, July, and August. The secret assessments focus on litter control, tidiness, and the physical state of the area's environment. There are eight categories including; Community – Your Planning and Involvement, Streetscape and Public Places, Green Spaces and Landscaping, Nature and Biodiversity in your Locality, Sustainability-Doing more with less, Tidiness and Litter Control, Residential Streets and Housing Areas, Approach Roads, Streets and Lanes, with a total of 550 points possible. Once the winners are announced in September, all entrants will receive their assessment reports. Last year, Enniscorthy Tidy Towns celebrated a historic gold medal win in the competition and are keen to continue that success, while making the area more enjoyable for residents. The adjudicator previously praised the town's initiatives and commented on how they were pleased to find the area very clean and tidy on the date of the visit in their report. In fact, Enniscorthy had jumped significantly by 15 points to 371 points compared to 356 points 2023. "We are appealing to all households and businesses to keep their rubbish in the bin with lids secured and not overflowing. If you can see the black bag – then so can crows and seagulls!'
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- General
- Irish Independent
Residents of Kerry town urged to play part in keeping streets clean after superb Anti-Litter result
The town was ranked third out of 40 towns and cities across Ireland by Anti-Litter League judges. This marks an improvement of one place on Killarney's result in the final 2024 rankings. Chamber co-president and Tidy Towns committee member, Johnny McGuire, said what was most encouraging is that seven of the 10 sites inspected in Killarney received the top A grade. 'You only get one chance to make a first impression and it's great to hear that the impact Killarney gives when approaching the town is a very good one,' Mr McGuire said. He said enormous credit is due to the management and staff of Killarney Municipal District. 'It's not that long ago when Killarney was languishing well down the IBAL league table but the team in the town hall and dedicated volunteers have really turned that around and created a town we can all be very proud of,' the Chamber official said. 'We've steadily climbed up the table and we improved from 10th position at the start of last year to third place overall on this occasion. Thanks must go to the council management, the elected representatives and, especially, the dedicated outdoor staff who can be really proud of their work'. Mr McGuire called on everybody in the town to play their part - no matter how small – as the judges in the national Tidy Towns competition and, more locally, the Killarney Looking Good awards, will make their deliberations in the coming weeks. He said there is no reason why Killarney cannot secure a gold medal in this year's Tidy Towns competition if everybody contributes. 'Cigarette butts and food-related litter were all that held Killarney back this time. We would urge people just to think twice before they discard such items going forward,' he said.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Naas named Ireland's Best Kept Town in all-island competition
Naas, Co Kildare, has been named Ireland's Best Kept Town, beating competition from Derry, Omagh in Co Tyrone, and Carrigaline in Co Cork in the large urban centre category. Towns and villages across the island were assessed on the level of public cleanliness and facilities, the outward appearance of roads and buildings and the quality of local wildlife. Earlier this week Naas was named the cleanest town in Ireland by the Irish Business Against Litter association, a title it has won three times since 2020. The survey, conducted by An Taisce, made reference to a 'spotless' Naas plaza and 'a much cared for' canal bank. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Ireland's Best Kept Town competition, a cross-Border initiative between the Supervalu TidyTowns competition in the Republic and the Northern Ireland Amenity Council's Best Kept awards. READ MORE Buncrana, Co Donegal, was named the island's best kept large town, beating Rush, Co Dublin and Comber, Co Down. Royal Hillsborough, Co Down, won the small town category ahead of Carlingford, Co Louth; Bagenaldstown, Co Carlow; and Randalstown, Co Antrim. Donaghmore, Co Tyrone, was named the best kept village – Eyeries, Co Cork and Riverstown, Co Sligo were nominees in the category. Winners were announced today at a ceremony in Farmleigh House in the Phoenix Park, with Minister for Rural and Community Development Dara Calleary saying 'being nominated for these awards is an achievement in itself. It is a recognition of the efforts made by volunteers and local communities'. 'It is a testament to how local volunteers take ownership of their local areas and work to improve them,' he said. Doreen Muskett, chairperson of the Northern Ireland Amenity Council, said 'these competitions continue to demonstrate the great pride that people have in their communities, North and South, and the hard work that is carried out by volunteers'.
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- General
- Irish Independent
Roscommon town scores well in litter survey despite increased dumping at local wasteland
Recording its best performance 'in a number of years', seven surveyed sites in the county town recorded the highest possible ranking. These include Roscommon GAA's home grounds in King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park, Main Street and The Square. The N61, N63 Approach, N63 Galway Approach Road and the 'absolutely spotless' Aldi deposit return scheme also received Grade A rankings. The latest IBAL survey makes Roscommon town 'clean to European norms'. In their report, An Taisce surveyors said the laneway between Fire Station and Circle K was 'a much-improved area compared to a couple of years ago, with much of the large pieces of metal waste and old sofas removed'. 'The installation of a gate appears to be having the desired effect i.e. preventing access. Litter items this time around were much smaller in nature e.g. fast-food wrappers and plastic bags, along with a sort of metal canister,' they stated. Surveyors expressed concern about the level of dumping at the waste land adjacent to recycle facility, which received Grade D. Roscommon County Council have told An Taisce that the site is 'beyond their remit' and have attempted to contact the owner of the site. 'While this site has been highlighted in many previous IBAL surveys, the level of dumping appears to be increasing. All manner and vast quantities of materials have been dumped upon a vast expanse of wasteland,' the IBAL report on Roscommon town stated. Described as 'moderately littered' in an IBAL survey in June 2024, Roscommon town has risen from 27th place to 23rd out of 40 towns since the last IBAL survey was published in January. The results of the latest report have been welcomed by Roscommon Tidy Towns. In 2024, the town was awarded Ireland's Best Kept Large Town award in the all-island, Best Kept Town Competition.
Irish Independent
09-06-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Kerry Tidy Towns group launches unique plan to get tourists involved in local efforts
With the focus this month on final Tidy Towns efforts, one Kerry town has launched a very novel idea that is hoped will get more people involved in the weekly clean-up.
