Galway City Centre is one of the cleanest urban areas in Ireland, but Ballybane remains “subject to long-term dumping and neglect” according to the latest IBAL litter survey.
Lower litter levels in the majority of our cities lay behind an improvement in nationwide cleanliness in Ireland in 2025.
That is the finding of business group Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL), which found that no town or city was judged to be “seriously littered” in the most recent survey of 40 urban areas in Janaury.
“This continues a very welcome trend we’ve seen in recent surveys and credit must go to local authorities for ridding our environment of these litter blackspots,” commented IBAL’s Conor Horgan.
Ballybane was the second most heavily littered area in Ireland out of the 40 inspected in the latest IBAL survey. It was one of just four areas deemed ‘Littered’ alongside Cork Northside, Ballymun, and Dublin North Inner City.
IBAL inspectors found that Ballybane Village and Industrial Estate in Galway were “subject to long-term dumping and neglect”.
Galway City Centre, in contrast, was deemed ‘Cleaner than European Norms’, one of ten areas to receive that designation. It and Waterford were the only two cities in that category, while Cork City Centre was also deemed ‘Clean to European Norms’.
Fergal Cushen, Environmental Awareness Officer, Galway City Council, commented, “The result is no surprise to Galway City Council, where our staff continue to work with communities across the city on litter prevention and reduction initiatives including regular Community Clean Ups and Spring Clean.”
“The Council’s partnerships with local and national groups such as Clean Coasts ensure there are strong networks of volunteers who take great pride in the city.”
“Not to mention the great work our Litter Management Unit do every day in our city – Starting their day at 5am and continuing their work throughout the morning and afternoon, ensuring the city streets are clean and well maintained every day.”
“Tackling litter is an ongoing collaborative effort which couldn’t be achieved without the dedication of local businesses, volunteer groups, schools and residents. Congratulations to all in making Galway a cleaner city for the next generation.”
The council said that efforts have also been made to address long standing issues in Ballybane, including implementing the three bin system and conducting drone surveys to spot dumping areas that were then targeted for clean up.
The electrical box at the entrance to the Fána Glas, once an eyesore and a focal point for illegal dumping, has been cleared of all waste and has been painted by a local artist with the help of local children.
In addition to this, Galway City Council has carried out several Multi Agency Vehicle Check Points in Galway City and County to identify and restrict the movement of illegal waste into Ballybane.
The council has said that CCTV will also be implemented in 2026 to prevent illegal dumping.
The IBAL survey revealed that the Deposit Return Scheme continues to have a positive impact on the cleanliness of our towns and cities, with a 10% drop in the prevalence of cans and plastic bottles compared to the previous year.
These two types of litter are now 60% less common than when the scheme was introduced in early 2024.
Coffee cups remained one of the most commonly found forms of litter and were evident in one fifth of all sites surveyed.
