Clare County Council has rejected the findings of a report which has named Doolin Pier as one of two litter blackspots in the country.
IBAL has for the first time carried out an examination of the country’s waterways and coastal areas and has also found Lahinch to be “littered”, while Kilkee has been deemed to be “moderately littered”.
The An Taisce report, commissioned by Irish Businesses Against Litter, looked at 40 beaches, harbours and rivers and their surroundings across the country, and found only 4 were “Clean to European Norms”.
40% were found to be littered or heavily littered, including Lahinch, while Doolin Pier, and parts of Cork Harbour, are singled out as “litter blackspots”.
The coach parking and car park areas were the worst affected at Doolin Pier, and Conor Horgan from IBAL hopes that putting a spotlight on this will help tackle the issue.
But Clare County Council has rejected the report, saying it’s “disappointed” by the findings.
The Local Authority says it employs two harbour masters in Doolin and insists, that in conjunction with local private ferry operators and an on-site catering operator, the maintenance of the area around the pier is a priority.
In a statement to Clare FM, the council says it also invests time and resources into promoting environmental awareness and litter prevention together with community groups throughout the county.
But Voluntary community group Doolin Tidy Towns believes the council should do more – spokesperson Ann Hughes says small measures could make a huge difference.
IBAL’s report also deemed Lahinch to be littered, saying inspectors found huge amounts of litter between the rocks, and marine litter trapped in the seaweed on the beach, while Kilkee has been deemed moderately littered, with the lower shoreline harbouring most of the litter.
