KILLARNEY has finished sixth out of 40 towns nationwide that were assessed for the Irish Business Against Litter League (IBAL) administered by environmental watchdog An Taisce.
The adjudicators, who deemed the town to be cleaner than European norms, said it was “a great achievement” to score so highly during the peak tourist season and it was clear that great care is being taken with the overall presentation of the town.
They made specific reference to the street bins on Beech Road that had a sign indicating ‘Dry Recyclable Litter Only’ and said it should encourage more recycling with very little effort on behalf of the public.
Examples of the top ranking sites they listed included Bishop’s Lane, New Road and Main Street and they said the local recycling facility was “spotless” which is a very rare achievement nationally.
The judges’ report read:
Approach from Cork: Grade B+ – Overall, this road was in quite good order with regard to litter. With a little extra effort, this could easily be a top ranking site.
Approach from Killorglin: Grade A – The overall impression created along this road was an excellent one with minimal litter.
Beech Road: Grade A – A fresh impression is created along Beech Road and street bins were in good condition. Care needs to be taken with cigarette butts and chewing gum along Beech Road.
Bishop’s Lane: Grade A – The mural on the white wall took the bare look off this narrow laneway – it also added a splash of colour. Colourful planter boxes and flower boxes were in very good condition. Overall, Bishop’s Lane was a top ranking site.
Former derelict site at Park Road Commercial Park: Grade B+ – This site (Pretty Polly) is no longer derelict and is being used as a car park and storage area. As well as some weeds, there were low levels of occasional litter items. Not much effort is required for this site to get the top litter grade.
Main Street: Grade A – The Main Street in Killarney was in excellent order. There was some lovely paving, for both the footpath and road surface, along one stretch of the street. The area was also enhanced by large planter boxes, seating, bollards, etc. All aspects of the area surveyed were in very good condition.
New Road: Grade A – Another excellent site in Killarney. Not only did it present well with substantial greenery but road surface, signage, markings and dog fouling notices were all in very good condition.
Recycle Facility: Grade A – This facility wasn’t just good with regard to litter but spotless. It is a credit to those responsible for the maintenance.
Jarvey Park: Grade B+ – A very well managed green space in the centre of Killarney, incorporating jarvey taxis and facilities for horse waste and public toilets. The Tidy Towns have planted flowers along the perimeter of the area. Cigarette butts were a problem and there was some litter in bushes, e.g. sweet papers and fast-food wrappers.
Killarney-Tralee Connecting Road: Grade B+ – Scattered amounts of litter – sweet papers, fast-food wrappers, plastic bags, plastic bottles and coffee cups. A stretch of road halfway between Farranfore and Killarney harboured much of this litter.
© KillarneyToday.com: Advertise with us: Over 300,000 views every month. Over 20,000 followers on Facebook. Call 087-2229761
