Budget cuts in councils around Ireland could lead to a rise in litter levels in towns, Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) has warned.
The organisation said it was concerned there would be a deterioration over the summer as councils reduce weekend cleaning to save money, particularly as the peak tourist season begins.
IBAL was reacting as a new survey of 60 town and cities throughout the State named Wexford as Ireland's cleanest town, ahead of Ennis and Youghal. The number of litter-free areas hit a record 41 - more than 68 per cent.
The IBAL survey, carried out by An Taisce, highlighted Athlone and Mallow as the country's sole litter blackspots, with Arklow classed as "seriously littered". Supermarket car parks were found to be a particular source of litter, according to inspectors, with retailers such as Tesco, Dunnes Stores and Costcutters in different areas found to be a "magnet" for litter, IBAL said.
"We saw over the June Bank holiday weekend how beaches were seriously affected by the lack of weekend cleaning, and it is quite evident in this survey with beaches in Buncrana and Tramore being classed as 'seriously littered'," said IBAL chairman Dr Tom Cavanagh.
"As summertime brings tourists and outdoor activity to most areas this is a major worry, which is not limited to beaches, but extends to all public places."
The group's figures estimate local councils are making an average saving of €750 per week in cutting weekend cleaning budgets, calling it a false economy.
"Litter is one area of spend where any cuts will be immediately visible, in littered pavements, parks and beaches. Set against the significant time and money which local hotels and shops have invested in tourism over the past decade, these cuts are small – but they can be enough to undo the good work done in any town," said Dr Cavanagh.
Chief executive of the Irish Hotels Federation John Power called for the issue to be urgently addressed by local authorities.
"In recent years Ireland has improved its performance on environmental and green issues in the eyes of our visitors," he said. "It is essential that this trend continues and the recent reduction in weekend cleaning and litter collection particularly at visitor attractions is a serious threat to the level of visitor satisfaction."
The group also cautioned that cities were not performing as well as the towns. While many Irish towns in the survey were classed as "clean" according to European norms, Galway city was said to be "moderately littered", while Dublin, Cork, Waterford and Limerick achieved similar ratings.
Areas such as Buncrana, Nenagh, Naas, Portlaoise, Gorey, Tallaght, Wicklow and Trim were also described as littered. Dublin towns such as Dún Laoghaire, Swords and Balbriggan were rated in the top 10 cleanest towns.
The most severe criticism was saved for Athlone and Mallow, which ranked last in the survey. Athlone was home to the worst site in the entire league; an area near the Kilmartin N6 roundabout that was described as an eyesore and a health hazard, and was beign used as a dump, according to the survey. The Dublin approach road to Athlone was also heavily littered, while the Roscommon approach road was found to have a "long-term build up of litter".
