The annual survey conducted by Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) has revealed that the majority of beaches in Ireland are falling short of clean status, despite lower visitor numbers due to an unsettled summer. Although there was a 50% increase in clean sites overall compared to last year, the survey found that coastal areas are still more littered than towns. Beaches such as Portmarnock in Co Dublin, Lahinch in Co Clare, and Dog’s Bay in Galway were categorized as ‘littered’, while Bundoran, Ballybunion, Skerries, and Strandhill were considered ‘moderately littered’. On the other hand, clean beaches included Killiney, Salthill, Tramore, Brittas Bay in Co Wicklow, and Curracloe in Wexford, which have shown improvement since last year. Despite the lower number of visitors this summer, litter from the sea combined with waste left by those who frequented the coastline in inclement weather has contributed to the litter problem. For the first time in IBAL’s coastal surveys, no area was deemed a litter black spot, with locations like Blackrock Castle in Cork Harbour and White’s Bay in Cork improving to ‘littered’ status, and Grand Canal Dock in Dublin moving from ‘heavily littered’ to ‘moderately littered’. This improvement can be attributed to the collaborative efforts of volunteer groups and local authorities targeting these areas. The survey also revealed that disposable vapes have become a common form of litter, encountered in approximately one out of every seven visits to the beach. IBAL is advocating for the banning of disposable vapes due to their impact on the environment, as they contain electronic waste, chemicals, and single-use plastic that breaks down into harmful microparticles, endangering marine life. IBAL believes that the emergence of disposable vapes contradicts the principles of a circular economy, especially during a time when plastic pollution in the oceans is a major concern.
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