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TRALEE came joint 21st out of 40 towns and cities surveyed in the last Irish Business Against Litter League table of 2022.
The town was deemed Clean To European Norms in the survey, the results of which were released yesterday. The result, though down from 14th in the June 2022 standings, was described by An Taisce judges as “another fine performance by Tralee”.
“The Square and The Mall were both exceptionally good sites – not only were they excellent with regard to litter, the overall presentation and maintenance of same was superb,” read the report.
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“All approach roads surveyed were deserving of the top litter grade. Two sites brought down the overall result significantly. By far the most heavily littered site was Tralee Casement Train Station where ‘long-lie’ litter was in evidence. The ‘Bring Centre’ at Garvey’s also presented poorly – it needs better management and has been highlighted in previous IBAL surveys,” it stated.
Here’s what the judges had to say about different areas of town…
Bruach na hAbhainn: Grade A (river walk along the Lee) Attractive riverwalk amenity with signage and seating in good order. Humorous dog fouling notices and ‘Mutt Mitt’ facility. Despite some litter, the overall impression was a good one and deserving of the top litter grade.
N86 Castlemaine Road & Castlemorris Roundabout Approach: Grade A. Road surface, markings, signage were in good order and apart from some plastic ties on poles, this was a very clean and tidy site. Some planting at Castlemorris Roundabout took away the bare look.
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Garryruth & Mitchel Road: Grade B. The overall impression was a somewhat littered one with concentrations of litter in the shrubs close to An Post Post Office. Main litter items were food related, along with plastic ties on poles and alcohol bottles – the broken glass was a hazard.
The Mall: Grade A. A very attractively presented and maintained town centre environment with all aspects in very good condition e.g., paving, large planter boxes, seating, street lamps, etc. – it was so fresh and welcoming. Chewing gum is beginning to appear on the lovely paving. Hopefully this doesn’t build-up.
The Square: Grade A. What a freshly presented and maintained environment. The paving looked great, seating, planting, bollards etc. were in very good order. Individual premises were well presented. An excellent site, overall.
Tralee Casement Train Station – Exterior: Grade C. This was by far the most heavily littered site surveyed in Tralee. Much of the litter at this site appeared to be ‘long-lie’ indicating a lack of thorough cleaning for quite some time. Heavy levels of sweet papers, coffee cups, mineral cans and fast-food wrappers were present, along with lower levels of cigarette butts, face-masks and alcohol bottles / cans. It was particularly obvious at the pedestrian entrance and all along the side of the car park.
Market Street: Grade B+. A much-improved site compared to previous IBAL surveys – this time around it just missed the top litter grade. Cigarette butts and vape related litter (vape boxes) were the most obvious types, particularly close to the betting shop. Clearly a careful eye is kept on the boarded- up property as there was no litter directly associated with it.
Recycle Facility at Garvey’s: Grade C+. The clothing recycle facility had items beneath and between the bin units. The bottle / can units were let down by a black sack which had been dumped.
Monavalley Business Park: Grade A. A freshly presented and maintained business park with no obvious litter issues. It was noted that there were a number of ‘seemingly abandoned’ cars i.e., flat tyres, untaxed etc
R878 Approach Road: Grade A. There was a virtual absence of litter along this attractively presented route – area was enhanced by some newly planted trees.
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