THE ANNUAL NATIONWIDE survey by business group Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) found that only 8 of the 33 beaches and harbours surveyed were deemed ‘Clean to European Norms’.

This was down from 13 areas last year, and the survey found that Cork Harbour at Blackrock Castle and Dublin’s Grand Canal Dock and Tolka River were ‘heavily littered’.

Beaches, harbours, rivers and their immediate environs were monitored by An Taisce in June and July.

While Tramore in Waterford was again clean, many popular beaches slipped to ‘moderately littered’ status, among them Lahinch Co Clare,  Brittas Bay and Curracloe in Wicklow, Portmarnock in Dublin, Strandhill in Sligo and Clogherhead Co Louth.

IBAL’s Conor Horgan said: “Unfortunately the improvement observed at our beaches last year seems to have reversed this time round.”

“We had hoped that the decline in Covid-related litter might bring an improvement in overall cleanliness, added to the fact that many who staycationed last year would have travelled abroad this summer. Our most popular beaches are not heavily littered, but they’re not as clean as they should be.”  

The seafront in Bray was again praised, as was Dun Laoghaire, but Kinsale and Dingle deteriorated to ‘littered’ status, alongside Bantry and Lough Rea.

Improved areas included Dogs Bay in Galway and Castletownbere in Cork.  

In contrast An Taisce reported that Grand Canal Dock had “heavy levels of a wide variety of litter, both alcohol and food related … litter was both land-based and water-based and long-lie and short-lie”.

“It jars to see the neglected state of an area which has been the subject of millions of euros of investment and attracts so many business visitors. I don’t believe this would be allowed persist in other European capitals,” commented Horgan.

Annesley Bridge in Dublin was deemed heavily littered and suffered ‘very high levels of casually discarded food and alcohol items’, while ‘the river bed continues to harbour larger, long-lie items like shopping carts, scooters, clothing and traffic cones’.

While acknowledging the work of community groups in Blackrock Castle in Cork, An Taisce cited ‘evidence of land-based dumping and miscellaneous items including car tyres, construction signage, a rubber dinghy and stroller”, which contributed to a ‘heavily littered’ rating.

There was a slight decrease in Covid masks and rubber gloves found, but also in alcohol-related litter which was linked to lockdown.

Coffee cups remained a significant litter item, however, present in half of the areas surveyed.

The most common forms of litter found by the assessors were cigarette butts, sweet wrappers and plastic bottles.