Poor showing for Navan in latest IBAL Anti-Litter League survey

There was a disappointing result for Navan in the final Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) survey of 2024 with the town deemed to be "moderately littered" to finish 32nd out of the 40 towns surveyed.

While there were some top ranking sites including Navan Shopping Centre and Preston Place, the report noted a number of litter black spots including the recycle facility at the long stay car park and also St Patrick's Park.

The report stated that the recycle facility at long stay car park "was let down by a quantity of items, both a mix of plastic bags and cardboard boxes which had been discarded in front of the recycle units" and was also critical of St Patrick's Park noting there was "evidence of significant burnt items, along with large household items" and that it was "again a litter blackspot."

Six of the ten sites surveyed achieved grade A ranking including the Trim Road approach, the Kells Road approach, Navan Shopping Centre, Preston Place, Emmet Terrace and also the former Loft premises at Trimgate Street. The judge commented about the former Loft premises that "clearly a careful eye is kept on this long since closed down premises as there was no litter directly associated with it" but did also note that "it presents poorly with paint, woodwork and metal gutters in poor shape".

Navan Shopping Centre came in for praise: "The entrance/façade of this on-street shopping centre had attractive paving and planted area with ‘Managed for Biodiversity’ signage. Colourful hanging baskets looked very well. Litter bin and associated cigarette butt unit were freshly presented. The overall impression was of a clean environment."

Trimgate Street was found to be a "moderately littered street with obvious cigarette butts and lower levels of fast-food wrappers, sweet papers and chewing gum". The report noted that the communal/seating area by the Bull sculpture was "attractively laid out with all aspects in good order" but was critical of the surface of the ‘Lady of the Dance’ sculpture commenting that it was "beginning to look very old/worn away".

The recycle area at the long stay car park was marked as a Grade C site with "a quantity of items, both a mix of plastic bags and cardboard boxes, had been discarded to the front of the recycle units. The shrubbery to the rear of the units was poorly maintained and harboured clothing."

The common area towards the Blackwater was given grade B and while the report noted some improvement on the previous IBAL survey, it noted that a discarded shopping trolley and loose litter are likely to attract further items and "clearly this area requires a close eye to prevent deterioration to previous status.

The judge gave Emmet Terrace the top litter grade and comented that the dog fouling signage appeared to have the desired effect as there wasn't any dog fouling and a "virtual absence of other litter throughout."

The worst grade went to St Patrick's Park where the report noted that "evidence of significant burnt items and large scaled household items characterised this site".

Responding to the report, Mayor of Navan Eddie Fennessy said: “Ten areas across the town were inspected, we got an A rating on six, two B’s and finished up with one C and a D rating. To slip back a place to 32nd is pretty harsh.

“St Patrick’s Park dropped back to a D rating. And the recycling facilities at the long stay car park on the R147 slipped from an A to a C which is disappointing. Concern with both of those areas was highlighted in previous reports. And to be fair to the council, considerable time, energy and finance was directed toward them over recent years. Today’s rating is disappointing.

“A fall in the levels of plastic bottles and cans on our streets, brought about by the Deposit Return Scheme is good news. And for the record, I note the efforts of Meath County Council’s outdoor staff in Navan. They work very hard to keep our streets clean. I urge members of the public to follow suit and to use what facilities available to keep Navan litter free."

Overall the IBAL survey found that a fall in plastic bottles and cans on our streets, brought about by the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), was not enough to reduce overall litter levels in Ireland last year and litter levels remained on a par with 12 months ago.

Naas finished in the top spot to take the cleanest town title for 2024 and in all, 60 per cent of the towns and cities surveyed were deemed ‘clean’.

The survey revealed a near-50 per cent fall in the prevalence of plastic bottles and cans in the 500+ sites monitored since the Deposit Return Scheme was introduced last year.

“We are definitely seeing cans and bottles disappear from our streets, which is very welcome – not only are they unsightly, but the bottles contribute to the very real problem of plastic pollution. However, it is clear from our survey that people continue to discard a wide range of litter types with flagrant disregard for their surroundings,” says Conor Horgan, IBAL spokesperson.

Sweet wrappers and fast-food wrappers were the most common litter types, ahead of plastic bags and coffee cups, which were present in over 20 per cent of sites.

“The DRS was one of a number of structural measures broached by the last government as part of its environmental agenda, with knock-on benefits in terms of litter. A ban on disposable vapes and a coffee cup levy were others.

“The need for such measures is evident in the stubbornly low penetration levels of refillable coffee cups and the proliferation of highly damaging vape litter, which cannot be recycled. If we are to see sustainable improvement nationwide, it is important that the incoming regime maintain the momentum on anti-litter legislation.”