Of 42 towns and cities monitored across Ireland for cleanliness levels over the course of 2012, Kilkenny was the cleanest. The city pipped Cavan and Killarney in the annual survey by Irish Business Against Litter, which showed 80% of towns and cities in the country to be as clean or cleaner than their European counterparts.
This was the first time that Kilkenny City, which has been litter-free for the past four years, has won the IBAL Litter League, taking the title from last year’s winner Trim. It was one of 22 towns to be deemed ‘Cleaner than European Norms’ this year.
An Taisce, which conducts the litter surveys, commented: “A superb result for Kilkenny with all sites surveyed getting the top litter grade. The approach roads were in particularly good order. The footpath and road surface along High Street have been very attractively paved and The Parade looked fantastic – a wide open sweep, flanked by trees to one side and terraced buildings to the other. The site by the riverbank and Dunnes Stores deserves a special mention as it had previously been problematic – not so this time around and the graffiti has been erased.”
To mark its success, the town will receive a suite of 10 copper beach trees for planting locally. These are provided by the Irish Tree Centre, an IBAL member based in County Cork.
CAPTION:
Pictured (l to r): Dr Tom Cavanagh, Chairman of IBAL with Cllr John Coonan, Deputy Mayor of Kilkenny, and Brian Tyrrell, Town Clerk, Kilkenny.
