Strandhill among cleanest beaches in coastal litter survey



There have been contrasting results for local beaches and piers in a major new nationwide litter survey which was conducted by the business group ‘Irish Business Against Litter’  The study has found Strandhill in Sligo to be ‘Clean to European norms’

 

The Study has found that the majority of our beaches and harbours are falling short of clean status.

 

The study states 40% of 32 coastal areas surveyed were clean, but there was a rise in areas branded ‘littered’ or ‘heavily littered’.

 

Beaches, harbours, rivers and their immediate environs were monitored by the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce in June and July. The An Taisce report for Strandhill stated:

 

“The overall impression of Strandhill beach, prom-enade and car parking was excellent with regard to litter. Signage and visitor information notices presented well.

 

There were just minor amounts of items relating to ice-cream and some cigarette butts. This was mostly between the rocks near the wall, opposite the eateries.   The area was well served by litter bins and these appear to be well maintained. A dog fouling sign says ‘ Love your Dog, Respect your City’ -it would seem that the dog fouling initiative is having the desired effect as there was an absence of dog fouling / bagged dog fouling in the area surveyed.”

 

Information in the report published this morning claims that Killybegs remains ‘moderately littered’ while Bundoran has dropped to ‘littered’

In relation to Killybegs the report says:

“While the harbour / pier areas were generally quite clean, it was the litter along the promenade area which brought down the litter grade.  The main items were fast-food related, (particularly from take-aways) cigarette butts and dog fouling (both bagged and unbagged). While the dog fouling signage was in good order and related to the fact it is prohibited, the signage was not as hard hitting as other signage in some parts of the country (e.g. Dog Fouling is a threat to the health of our children, degrades our country, can transmit disease). Some litter items had also been discarded over the promenade wall.  It would seem that a couple of street bins along the southern end of the promenade had been removed (recessed areas), perhaps these could be reinstated, combined with enhanced sweeting and installation of more dog fouling and butt disposal facilities.”

The report for Bundoran stated:

“While the beach itself had scattered litter, it was the heavier presence along the promenade and car park areas which really brought down the litter grade.  Cigarette butts, fast-food wrappers and sweet papers were the most obvious types, with lower levels of a wide variety of food related items and other miscellaneous items e.g. small items of clothing, wipes etc. Small amounts of broken up plastic, polystyrene and rope were found around the beach area. The promenade was well served by litter bins, including two dog fouling bins, all of which were well maintained.  The provision of cigarette disposal stations could certainly help the cigarette butt issue and the broken dog fouling bag dispenser should either be replaced or removed.  More litter awareness notices and an enhanced street sweeping regime along the promenade / car park area could also make a big difference.”

 

Conor Horgan from IBAL , says the results aren’t as bad as expected considering coastal areas are being heavily used during the pandemic:

 

 

 

 



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