Wicklow Town Amongst The Top Ten Cleanest Irish Towns & Cities

Wicklow town has climbed into the top 10 in the latest Irish Businesses Against Litter survey. It's ranked 9th out of 40 towns and cities, and is deemed cleaner than European norms.

The latest survey from business group Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) reveals Wicklow town is ‘Cleaner than European Norms” and in 9th spot in the ranking of 40 towns and cities across Ireland.

The An Taisce report says seven out of the ten sites surveyed get the top litter grade.  They include the approach roads, residential area of Glebemount, Glen Beach Cliff Walk and Riverwalk - from Bridge Tavern to Parnell / pedestrian Bridge – these were not just good with regards to litter, but very well presented and maintained. 

By far the most heavily littered site was the commercial site, 3 The Murrough – it presents poorly and is likely to deteriorate if not addressed.

Overall, two-thirds of towns were clean, which was up on 2024. Naas was once again top of the ranking of 40 towns and cities, ahead of Ennis and Killarney. Only 4 areas were branded littered or seriously littered – the lowest number on 5 years. Both Dublin and Cork city centres have improved in advance of the peak season for visitors.  

“It is encouraging to see that our main city centres – Dublin and Cork – have improved as we welcome summer visitors to our country. Clean streets are imperative, given the challenges facing Ireland as a high-cost destination,” says IBAL’s Conor Horgan

Dublin’s North Inner City, seriously littered, remains rooted to the foot of the rankings. Conor Horgan comments:

“No progress is likely in the North Inner City without a ban on bags. We need the Council to come good on its intention to convert the entire city to bin collection services. In addition, it is high time that appropriate legal changes were brought into effect to allow the council to pursue those responsible for littered basements, an age-old blight on our Capital City.”

One year on from the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme, plastic bottle and can litter is down 50% on previous levels but was still found in 20% of the 500-plus sites surveyed across the country. The prevalence of coffee cups on Dublin streets remains stubbornly high, there was a fall-off in disposable vape litter. The UK and Northern Ireland outlawed disposable vapes earlier this month and a ban here is likely in the coming months.