Big improvement for Navan in IBAL Anti-Litter League

Navan has greatly improved its ranking in the first round of the Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) anti-litter league for 2026 climbing 12 places to achieve "clean" status.

After a disappointing result in the last round of 2025 where the town was deemed to be "moderately littered" to finish just 30th out of 40 towns surveyed, the first result of 2026 is is a much more positive one with Navan moving to 18th place.

The An Taisce report on Navan stated: "A very good result for Navan, with seven out of the ten sites surveyed getting the top litter grade – and none were heavily littered or subject to dumping – well done to all concerned. The residential area of Ferndale was looking very well. Trimgate Street and the Car Parks at Fairgreen and Bedford Place were very much deserving of the top litter grade."

However there were some sites with litter present and the report noted: "By far the most heavily littered sites surveyed in Navan were the Bring Centre on N51 and the railway crossing on Commons Road – neither of them got into this state overnight."

The seven areas to achieve 'Grade A' status included: Junction of R147, R153 and Timmons Hill; Rathholdren Road: Trim Approach Road; Ferndale; Fair Green and Bedford Place Car Park; Trimgate Mall and Trimgate Street.

There was praise for Trimgate Street saying the overall presentation was "very good with lovely paving, seating and planting" and that it was "very much deserving of the top litter grade."

The reported also noted that "colourful planting at the entrance to the residential area of Ferndale was lovely and welcoming. The whole area was exceptionally clear of litter and very well maintained – well done to all."

On the Trim Approach Road the report commented that "this route created an excellent first impression of Trim – it was both tidy and welcoming."

There were still some sites highlighted that had litter present and the Bring Centre on the N51 only made Grade C with the report noting: "The recycle units were freshly presented with signage associated with the use of same in good order. Area to the front of the units was clear, but area to the rear was subject to significant dumping / plastic wrapping".

Also only making grade C and coming in for criticism was the railway crossing, at Commons Road. "The Iarnrod Eireann ‘No Dumping’ and associated CCTV signage has been completely ignored – levels of littering / dumping were such that it was well on its way to Grade D status. There was a mix of fresh and ‘long-lie’ items, the latter indicating a lack of thorough cleaning for quite some time. This site needs attention to prevent further deterioration."

Meanwhile, Drogheda also managed to improve its rating to achieve clean status and finished in 27th place while Dundalk remains moderately littered.

No town or city occupied the “seriously littered” or “litter blackspot” categories at the foot of the IBAL table. Overall litter levels were on a par with last year, with 27 towns deemed clean. Sligo again topped the IBAL ranking, with Limerick City Centre the only area branded ‘littered’.

“As the peak season for tourist visitors approaches, we have fewer littered areas than we’ve had at any time in the last 25 years,” commented IBAL’s Conor Horgan. Once again, the study showed a low number of very heavily littered sites among the 500-plus sites surveyed compared to previous years. “The job’s not done, but across the country, local authorities appear to have upped their game when it comes to tackling persistently littered sites and dumping in our towns and cities.”

Despite , the deposit return scheme the report found that bottles and cans not disappearing from our streets

Plastic bottle and can litter was found in 19 per cent and 22 per cent respectively of sites surveyed - the highest levels since the Deposit Return Scheme was introduced. “If we had hoped that the DRS would see this litter disappear from our streets, it’s not happening,” says Conor Horgan. “15c or 25c does not appear enough to incentivise some people to return a bottle or can. That said, by reducing this litter by 50 per cent -plus, the scheme’s impact on overall cleanliness levels is beyond dispute.”

The prevalence of coffee cups was at its highest level since 2023, making it one of the main sources of litter on our streets, behind sweet papers, fast food wrappers, plastic bags and cigarette butts. “Talk of a ‘latte levy’ has all but vanished, yet coffee cup litter clearly has not. The Government inaction on this persistent problem is baffling.”

The study also revealed a significant increase in cigarette butt litter compared to 2025. IBAL warns that butts are not only unsightly, but are a toxic single-use plastic that can contaminate the marine and land environment.

An Taisce receives funding from the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (through the Circular Economy Fund) to support the undertaking of IBAL surveys.