Number of Clare beaches fall short in national littering survey

A NUMBER of Clare beaches have a serious issues with litter, according to a survey by one business group.

The annual survey of coasts and inland waterways, published today by Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL), shows that most littered areas around the country have cleaned up over the past year.

However, the study of 33 areas nationwide revealed the majority of beaches falling short of clean status, despite an unsettled summer meaning lower visitor numbers, while disposable vapes have also become a major littering concern.

The beaches at Lahinch and Doolin pier were classed as 'littered', while the beach at Mountshannon on Lough Derg was classed as 'moderately littered'.

"Over an unsettled summer, where our beaches attracted far fewer numbers than normal, one might have expected the majority to be virtually free of litter," says Conor Horgan of IBAL. 

"Unfortunately, this does not reflect the state of our coastal environment. There is much ‘long lie’ litter and waste coming in from the sea, and this is compounded by litter from those who continue to frequent our coastline despite the inclement weather."

Disposable vapes were revealed as an emerging form of litter, encountered in 1 in 7 of all visits, making them significantly more common on Irish beaches than in cities and towns.

“This time last year we were not seeing this form of litter at all, so its rapid emergence is worrying. So, too, is its impact on our environment,” warned Conor.

IBAL favours the banning of disposable vapes, which, it contends, run counter to the notion of a circular economy. Vapes contain electronics, chemical waste and single-use plastic which breaks down into microparticles, endangering sea life.

“At a time when we are urgently trying to reduce plastic pollution in our oceans, the emergence of vapes is concerning.” 

For the first time since IBAL commenced its coastal surveys in 2017, no area was deemed a litter blackspot. The disappearance of litter blackspots around the Irish coast mirrors a trend evident also in the IBAL survey of towns and cities.

"An obvious starting point in cleaning up our country is to target the most littered areas. This is clearly happening," Conor said.