Naas and Leixlip in Co Kildare ranked top in the list of cleanest towns in Ireland. Both the towns showed a standard higher than that of European norms in a survey by business group Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL).
Its latest survey of 40 towns and cities showed nationwide litter levels having risen slightly, with cities again faring particularly badly.
This is the first time Naas comes to the top position. An Taisce, who conduct the surveys on behalf of IBAL, found every site examined in the Kildare town to be “virtually free of litter”. Portlaoise and Ennis hold the second and third positions respectively in the list. Leixlip is on fourth position.
The 9 towns which are cleaner than the European norms are:
Naas
Portlaoise
Ennis
Leixlip
Arklow
Dun Laoghaire
Fermoy
Longford
Kilkenny
The town with most litter is North Inner City of Dublin and considers a ‘litter black spot.’