.


The IBAL Business Against Litter survey published in June 2007 has been a disastrous one for Newbridge. Newbridge Tidy Towns Association believe that the time for education is now past, and the Local Authority must provide a full time, comprehensive cleaning service in the town AND actively enforce the litter act 1997 to its fullest extent.

We believe that only by issuing fines to those who litter, destroy street furniture with graffiti, and deposit their domestic waste on the streets can the town improve its litter ranking.

The Tidy Towns Association are more than willing to assist the Local Authorities and support them in the task ahead...Newbridge Streets must be cleared of litter - including weeds and graffiti. We hope that the Local Authorities and Residents will see this wake up call as an opportunity to improve the appearance of the town generally.

This result is a great embarrassment to the majority of Newbridge Residents who are considerate of their surroundings, and place their waste in the proper place...to those who litter shame on you...you have dragged the name of Newbridge down to your low level.

This is the un-edited IBAL Report for Newbridge.


Prosperous Newbridge is the worst of all the towns surveyed. It has been plagued with a serious litter problem over a number of years. There were no sites which were Clean to European Norms – the top ranking towns had eight. Newbridge, along with almost all of the rest of the Kildare towns surveyed, has consistently come very much towards the bottom of the litter league over a long number of years – there has been no change this time around. Many of the sites surveyed have long-term litter problems (e.g. Dublin / Naas Approach Road, St. Conleth’s Catholic Church and Newbridge Industrial Estate). The Main Street was by far the worst site surveyed and was much worse than previous litter surveys.

In the next survey 40% of marks will be awarded for Approach Roads – this includes ring roads, slip roads and roundabouts.


Dublin / Naas Approach Road: Serious Litter Problem. There is a long-term litter problem along this approach road which has not been tackled in quite some time. There were heavy levels of a wide variety of litter throughout and little attempt has been made to address either the litter or the poor road surface and untended grassy areas.

Curragh Approach Road: Moderately Littered. The initial stretch of road from the roundabout is nicely landscaped with some well cut grass. The situation deteriorated somewhat as one got closer to the town, especially the area opposite the garage on the right

St. Conleth’s Catholic Church: Serious Litter Problem. This was a very poor site. Heavy levels of food related litter and a dirty and dilapidated bin contributed to the overall air of neglect. Chewing gum and cigarette butts were particularly heavy.

St. Patrick’s Terrace: Moderately Littered. With just a little extra effort this could be a very good site. Some light scatterings of sweet papers and fast food wrappers took away from an environment which is generally well maintained.

Riverside: Moderately Littered. Despite plenty of Litter Awareness notices there was persistent litter along what could be a lovely amenity. All of the litter was food related and some of the seats were dirty.

Newbridge National School – Outside and Inside: Moderately Littered. With just a little extra effort both the Outside and Inside of the school grounds could get a higher litter classification. All of the litter present was food related and a dirty bin outside the school didn’t help the appearance.

Henry Street: Moderately Littered. Chewing gum was particularly prevalent along this attractive street. A more thorough approach to cleaning could make all the difference as the road and footpath were in good condition.

Main Street: Litter Blackspot. This was by far the worst site in Newbridge. Not only was it the worst site but it was more heavily littered than previous litter surveys. The area is particularly well served by litter bins, but to no avail as there was a wide variety of litter present, all of it food related. As with so many other sites in Newbridge, chewing gum was impacted throughout the footpath. All in all it was a very poor site indeed.

Curragh Approach Road: Moderately Littered. The initial stretch of road from the roundabout is nicely landscaped with some well cut grass. The situation deteriorated somewhat as one got closer to the town, especially the area opposite the garage on the right.

Newbridge Industrial Estate: Serious Litter Problem. Despite some improvement with the general environment (with the erection of new fences and the laying of grass) the litter situation was still very poor. Almost all types of litter were present, particularly on the grass and behind the fences.