Good news for Fingal in the Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL)  report

There was good news for Fingal in the Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) report issued today as Dublin Airport Environs was ranked 13th out of 40 towns / cities surveyed rising 6 places from the last survey and retaining a status of Clean to European Norms.   These results were particularly welcome given the new challenges posed by Covid-19 and an increase in litter nationally reported by IBAL in the survey. 

The report refers to the Airport Environs as “A consistently strongly performing area surrounding Dublin Airport, and things were no different this time around. Eight out of the ten sites surveyed got the top litter grade, with just one very poor site.  The top-ranking sites weren’t just good with regard to litter but the overall presentation of same was also of a high standard.”  The report highlighted, as well as the absence of litter in the area, the well-attended grass verges, the provision of bins and the excellent road surface, signage and markings.

Of particular concern in the IBAL report overall was the widespread PPE litter and a rise in the prevalence of cans and glass bottles. PPE litter was prevalent across the country, with masks 5 times as common as gloves. “Understandably, people are reluctant to pick up these items for fear of contracting Covid-19, so they tend to stay on the ground. We need to see a rapid rise in the use of reusable masks,” says Conor Horgan of IBAL.

Speaking about the results Mayor of Fingal Cllr David Healy said: “I would like to congratulate Fingal County Council on these excellent results for the Airport Environs in the IBAL report.  We must all continue our efforts to dispose of litter correctly and particularly to reduce the potential litter from PPE by switching from using disposable to reusable masks.”

Chief Executive of Fingal AnnMarie Farrelly said: “I would like to commend the excellent work of our Operations and Environment teams which has led to these positive results in the latest IBAL survey.  They continue to meet these high standards while dealing with the unprecedented challenges posed by Covid-19.  I would also like to thank the local community and Tidy Towns groups who work with us to keep Fingal beautiful and would appeal to everyone when visiting our parks, beaches and open spaces to bring litter home or use the bins provided.”

As noted in the IBAL report, Fingal County Council has also noticed an increase in illegal dumping and littering including discarded disposable gloves and masks and additional litter caused by outdoor socialising in parks.  The Council continues to urge people not to litter and to report incidents of dumping to [email protected]

Fingal County Council also encourages people to move away from single use plastics and masks and opt for reusable alternatives and to recycle clothes, bottles, cans etc in the many Bring Banks around the County. Electric equipment (WEEE) can be recycled for free in any retail outlet or in one of the two recycling centres operated by Fingal County Council, one in Coolmine Dublin 15 and one in Estuary Swords. See the Fingal County Council website www.Fingal.ie for more information.  

For the full report see http://ibal.ie/