Irish beaches have achieved their cleanest condition in eight years, with environmental group Irish Business Against Litter crediting the Deposit Return Scheme for driving significant improvements in coastal cleanliness.
The latest survey by An Taisce, conducted on behalf of IBAL across 33 beaches, harbours, rivers and surrounding areas in June and July, found 17 locations deemed ‘clean’ – representing a 50% increase from the previous survey.
Areas classified as ‘littered’ dropped dramatically from 11 to just three, with no locations falling into the worst ‘heavily littered’ category. Popular destinations including Brittas Bay, Curracloe, Bundoran, Killiney, Strandhill, and Tramore all achieved clean status.
Notable improvements were recorded at Portmarnock in Dublin, which jumped from ‘littered’ to ‘clean’, along with Blackrock Castle and Castletownbere in Cork. However, some areas declined, including Dingle, Dog’s Bay beach in Galway, and White Bay in Cork.
The survey showed a 30% reduction in plastic bottles and cans since the Deposit Return Scheme’s introduction, marking the first coastal assessment since the initiative began. Vapes were also less prevalent than in previous studies.
Despite the improvements, cigarette butts, sweet papers, and fast food wrappers remained the most common litter items. Coffee cup waste persisted as a significant problem, found at 42% of surveyed sites with no reduction noted.
IBAL spokesperson Conor Horgan attributed the improvements to multiple factors, including volunteer Clean Coast groups, government anti-littering initiatives, and EU regulations requiring bottle caps to be tethered to containers.
“We have been monitoring our beaches and waters for the last eight years and just a few years ago there were very few of those areas which were deemed clean,” Horgan explained. “Now over half of them are clean.”
The results are particularly notable given this year’s sunny weather, which typically increases beach usage and littering challenges for local authorities.
However, Horgan highlighted ongoing concerns about coffee cup waste, suggesting a levy might be necessary to address this persistent problem – an initiative currently shelved by the government.
The findings come ahead of next month’s Big Beach Clean Up from September 19-21, which is expected to attract over 600 groups and 15,000 volunteers nationwide.