Cigarette debris accounted for half of all litter items nationally last year and is expected to increase this year with the introduction of the smoking ban, a survey from the Department of the Environment suggests.
Chewing gum and cigarette butts and boxes were the most common types of litter nationally, together accounting for almost 80 per cent of litter items according to the annual report of the Litter Monitoring Body.
The national litter survey - which measures the extent, causes and constituents of litter - was responded to by just 34 of the 90 local authorities.
The Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Mr Pat "the Cope "Gallagher, said cigarette litter was likely to increase significantly, with more people smoking outside since the smoking ban came into force in March.
"The figures from this survey are an early warning call. I am now calling for businesses and the hospitality industry to become more vigilant and to provide facilities outside their premises for cigarette litter."
Mr Gallagher said he was particularly concerned that the incidence of cigarette litter in Dublin increased by 20 per cent last year.
The survey shows that litter pollution decreased nationally, with almost 50 per cent of areas judged only slightly polluted, compared to just under 43 per cent last year, but a breakdown of litter levels in each local authority has not been released.
A spokeswoman for the company responsible for the survey, TES Consulting Engineering, said it had been agreed with the local authorities that this information would not be published.
However, Mr Gallagher said it was considered unfair to release county by county details because only one third of local authorities had responded to the survey.
"Releasing the individual information wouldn't give a fair indication of the dirtiest places in the country because only one third of the surveys came in. I have been told that this is because the local authorities are in the process of installing computer systems and I have been assured that next year almost all areas will be included."
Dublin City Council has admitted that four out of the 28 areas surveyed were given a "grossly polluted" rating. The dirtiest places in Dublin were Wolfe Tone Park, Temple Bar, Georges Quay and Amiens Street.
Areas are rated from unpolluted, slightly polluted, moderately polluted, significantly polluted to grossly polluted.
A spokesman for the council said the city had made progress on the litter problem last year. The number of moderately polluted areas had decreased by almost 12 per cent, while the number of slightly polluted areas had increased by 10 per cent.
Nationally, the three most common types of litter were cigarette litter (50 per cent), food litter at 30 per cent (28 per cent of which was chewing gum) and packaging litter at 14 per cent. Passing pedestrians were the worst culprits, accounting for 38 per cent of litter, followed by motorists (13 per cent) and shops (11 per cent).
