Dublin city centre has become one of the most littered areas in the country, a new survey has found.
The city centre was the fourth most littered area out of 40 towns and cities analysed in the latest Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) survey. Dublin’s north inner city was the second most littered area while Tallaght was seventh.
Dundalk was deemed the dirtiest of all the areas while Maynooth was ranked the cleanest, earning the label of "cleaner than European norms".
Vaping devices were included as a litter type in the survey for the first time and were described by the IBAL as an "especially toxic form of litter". They were present in 6% of sites surveyed.
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An Taisce, who conducted the survey on behalf of the IBAL, noted that discarded furniture, sleeping bags and blankets were found off Thomas Street in Dublin, and a basement on O'Connell Street "wasn't just littered but subject to dumping".
Conor Horgan, of IBAL, said: “Clearly, tourism is a focus of this annual summer survey and unfortunately the major urban gateways to our towns and countryside – notably Dublin – are falling short of the mark and creating an underwhelming first impression for visitors.
“As a high-cost destination, tourists to Ireland can expect better. It’s a fact, too, that the great work being done in our towns is negated by litter in our cities.”
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