Laois town continues to deteriorate in nationwide litter survey

Portlaoise has fallen to 25th place out of 40 towns across Ireland when it comes to cleanliness, according to the latest IBAL report. 

The latest litter survey by the business group Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) has shown that Portlaoise is considered clean by European norms, however improvements can be made.

IBAL's previous report in June 2025, saw Portlaoise ranked in 20th place. Within just 6 months, the town fell by five places. June's scoring had also seen a deterioration in the town's ranking, falling three places from 2024.

Despite this, in the 2025 report, An Taisce who conduct the surveys on behalf of IBAL, said it was "another solid showing by Portlaoise, despite the majority of sites falling short of clean status."

Top ranking sites in the town included the residential area of Aghnaharna Drive, the Glass Bottle Bank at Dunnes Stores and the R445 approach from the M7. All three of these sites received a grade A in the report.

The R445 approach from the M7 was said to give "an excellent impression" of Portlaoise when travelling along the route into the town. All elements such as paving, road surfacing, markings, signage, and planter boxes, were presented well. The report also remarked that there was a "virtual absence of litter throughout."

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Residents in Aghnaharna Drive were congratulated in the report for their top marks. The report stated that the residential development was "very much deserving of the top litter grade." 

The Glass Bottle Bank at Dunnes Stores was deemed "in very good order". The report acknowledged that litter can often build up at such small facilities but this was not the case here.  

There were four sites which just missed the top litter grade, with the report suggesting not much effort would be required for this to be achieved.

Main Street was one of these sites, scoring a B+ in the markings. The general presentation of the street was considered very good. However, it missed out on the top litter grade due to cigarette butts and chewing gum which "took away from an otherwise good environment."

There was an improvement this time around for Carmody Way Estate which received an impressive B+. This was a big step up compared to previous IBAL surveys as the area "had been a magnet for heavy litter levels." For this survey, there were some toys and food related litter. Nonetheless, a congratulations was extended to those who helped improve the area. 

Portlaoise Leisure Centre also received a B+. The overall presentation of this facility was very good. Litter levels were generally good, although items like sweet wrappers along the walkway brought the grade down. It was suggested that a litter bin in this area or litter awareness notices might help.

The River Triogue Linear Walk and Fitness Trail was described as a "lovely" river and park environment, scoring a B+. All elements were in good order, albeit there was some graffiti on signage as well as small amounts of litter in the river. 

The Deposit Return Scheme site at Aldi bagged a B in the scoring. This stand-alone facility has a receptacle for ‘Reject Items Only’ and signage indicating CCTV is in place which helps with litter. However, there was a separate litter bin which was overflowing with items that were not necessarily associated with the return scheme. 

The two lowest scoring and heavily littered sites were Lidl Car Park and Harpur's Lane, both receiving a C+. Lidl Car Park had a "definite litter presence" within its shrubbery and along its access route to the store. 

On Harpur's Lane, the report noted that the derelict site "presents poorly" and it did bring the score down. However, the derelict building was not the only reason for its score as there were also "heavy levels" of discarded litter, including a wooden pallet. This area was also considered one of the worst littered in June's report.

Despite its clean status, Portlaoise was ranked beneath most other towns in the Midlands. Tullamore ranked 5th in the entire country and was given the status of 'Cleaner than European Norms.' Mullingar was also ahead of Portlaoise, ranking 14th on the table. 

Although, Portlaoise did pass out Athlone who lost their clean status, falling to 32nd place and being deemed 'moderately littered.'

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme