THE Minister for the Environment, Mr Howlin, said that "prettiness" was no longer enough to win a Tidy Towns award. A more broad concept, "environmental enhancement", was now being used.
He was speaking yesterday in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham at the first Tidy Towns awards announcement since the competition was reformed and made more broadly based.
The 1996 awards were made according to changed criteria, including whether the relevant committees had a long term plan, were linked with local agencies, and were concerned with the care of wildlife and natural amenities.
The marking scheme "encourages committees to plan their activities in a more structured fashion. It covers the very wide spectrum of factors which impact on the totality of the environment in today's Irish town and village environment...
"The scourge of litter remains one of the most important of these and represents an area where committees and my Department find common purpose.
After the awards ceremony, Mr Howlin said the broadening of the marking criteria was letting larger towns take part in the competition. What "really impressed" him was the performance of Ballyfermot, which won the best new entry award for centres with a population of over 10,000.
"It is great for our towns and cities if it gets them involved," the Minister said.
New legislation aimed at combating litter would be published before the end of the year. Under the new law, the organisers of major events will have to draft a plan for how they will deal with the litter produced, those who produce litter will be made responsible for its control, and the prosecution of those who break the law will be simplified.
However, Mr Howlin said: "It takes years to change the attitudes of litter louts."
Mr Seamus Scally, chairman and chief executive of SuperValu, which sponsors the Tidy Towns awards, said he thought there had been a "marked improvement" in the litter situation around the State.
"The Tidy Towns competition has worked fantastically down the years and it is working," he said.
There were 729 entries this year, 25 more than in 1995. It is the 38th year of the competition.
