Fall in cleanliness at Grand Canal Dock
IRISH Business Against Litter (IBAL) has published data from its annual nationwide survey of beaches and harbours showing that litter levels are on the rise.
Inland there was a fall in cleanliness at Grand Canal Dock in Dublin, which saw the capital’s premier inland waterways destination slip into the heavily littered category of the survey. It was reported that heavy levels of a wide variety of litter, both alcohol and food related, land-based and waterbased, long-lie and short-lie, were present. The Annesley Bridge area, spanning the River Tolka in Dublin, also fell into the same category, with the addition of long-lie items such as shopping carts, scooters and traffic cones present on the riverbed.
The most common forms of litter uncovered by the survey’s assessors included cigarette butts, sweet wrappers and plastic bottles.
While litter related to the Covid19 pandemic, such as masks and gloves, had declined, takeaway coffee cups remained a significant litter item present in half of the total areas surveyed.
The full survey can be viewed online at www.ibal.ie