IBAL litter rankings: Mullingar retains its ‘clean’ status in 15th
The latest litter survey by business group Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) shows Mullingar retaining its ‘clean’ status in 15th spot in the ranking of 40 cities and towns.
Athlone, also clean, has improved to 24th. Sligo again topped the IBAL ranking, and Limerick City Centre is the only area branded ‘littered’.
An Taisce report on Mullingar
Mullingar: 15th out of 40 towns/ cities surveyed. Clean to European Norms.
Top ranking sites in what was a very strong result for Mullingar included Pearse Street (freshly presented and very good with regards to litter), a number of approach roads and Town Park – the latter is a wonderful park environment, with a variety of features within, all of which were in very good condition. It was most encouraging to see an improvement at Old Trail Car Park – it had been heavily littered in 2025 IBAL visits but this time around it just missed the top litter grade. By far the most heavily littered site surveyed in Mullingar was Market Point Shopping Centre.
Delvin Road Approach
Grade B. Road surface/ markings/ signage and bicycle path were in good order. The overall impression was of a freshly presented route, let down by an obvious fast-food litter presence, with lower levels of other food related items.
Dublin Road
Grade A. All elements of this route into Mullingar were in very good order, with a virtual absence of litter throughout. The freshly presented litter bin by the bus-stop seems like a good idea.
Austin Friar Car Park
Grade B. On first impressions, all appeared in good other with regards to litter – i.e. car park surface was generally clear of litter. However, there were concentrations of litter at the base of the fence, next to the waterway and accumulations of cigarette butts in the dirt next to the river. Cardboard boxes had been discarded by the bottle bank.
Pearse Street
Grade A. The overall impression with regards to litter along Pearse Street was a very good one. Paving was freshly presented; litter bins were in good condition (some of which were modified to accommodate ‘ReTurn’ items). The large tree planter boxes, along with the wooden seating attached, were lovely features and very welcome.
Mount Street
Grade A. Mount Street was very much deserving of the top litter grade. It is a very well presented town centre street, with some attractively presented business premises e.g. Columbia Café and Chambers Bar – they both very much add to the atmosphere. Well done to all concerned.
Town Park
Grade A. The Town Park was exceptionally well presented and maintained with all elements in very good order e.g. seating, litter bins, play area, PE equipment, skatepark. It is a wonderful location, and immaculately clean on day of IBAL visit.
Market Point Shopping Centre
Grade C+. The large ‘Market Point’ signage was in very good condition. However, beneath and in the immediate environs of this signage, there was a very definite litter presence, particularly perpendicular to the yellow wall – there were heavy levels of litter trapped at the base of the shrubbery. The base of shrubbery within the car park was also littered. This took away from an otherwise clear environment.
Old Trail Car Park
Grade B+. There was a marked improvement compared to IBAL visit in 2025 when this was a heavily littered site. It would seem that a cleanup has taken place and this time around the corner location wasn’t nearly as littered as previously. ‘Old Trail’ signage and general presentation of the car park was good.
Mullingar Greenway
Grange South: Grade B+. There were very minimal litter issues along this beautiful amenity – being enjoyed by many on day of IBAL visit. With a little extra care and attention, this could be a top ranking site.
R390 Approach - Athlone
Grade A. There were some works under way along this route, but they didn’t impact in any negative way on the litter situation. The overall impression was a good one with regards to litter.