Tidy Towns group spring into action in Enniscorthy

Enniscorthy Tidy Towns group is seeking volunteers to raise awareness around litter issues in the town and help tackle the problem head-on.

The organisation, which is run on a voluntary basis, has also announced details for the upcoming National Spring Clean event which will take place on

Enniscorthy Tidy Towns is seeking volunteers to raise awareness of and help tackle the towns litter problem head on. The voluntary organisation has announced details for the upcoming National Spring Clean event which will take place on Easter Bank Holiday Monday, April 10, at 10 a.m.

The event hosted by the Enniscorthy group will be part of An Taisce’s nationwide anti-litter campaign which will be in place throughout April.

However, the group has already been in action in An Glasán where a community clean-up was carried out with great success.

The initiative took place to inspire other people in the community to sign up the larger campaign and set about cleaning up their own streets, estates or park areas.

In the wake of the event taking place in An Glasán, a spokesperson for Enniscorthy Tidy Towns said: “Great to see the An Taisce National Spring Clean kits in use early and it was heartening to see the next generation making our environment cleaner and greener so well done to all involved."

Over the last 24 years, National Spring Clean has focused on emphasising the need for collective responsibility in tackling and preventing ongoing littering problems.

By participating in organised clean-ups, groups and individuals of all ages come together to make a meaningful and positive contribution to their communities. This year, the National Spring Clean is also raising awareness about how the adoption of a circular economy model, will reduce our litter, and climate impact. The circular economy is a waste prevention approach to keep resources in use for as long as possible, enabling us to extract the maximum value from them before recovery and regeneration

To-date that’s resulted in the collection of almost 45,000 tonnes of litter across the country. Last year, 5,640 groups registered and collected an estimated 2,600 tonnes of litter across the country.

A spokesperson for the Enniscorthy group highlighted the fact the initiative is free, family-friendly and open to all members of the community.

“Last year’s event was a huge success and hopefully 2023 will be too,” said the spokesperson. More details will be published in the Enniscorthy Guardian closer to the event and also on the Enniscorthy Tidy Towns social media platforms on Facebook and Instagram.

“Enniscorthy Tidy Towns will have a limited supply of bags, gloves and hi-vis but if you have these and your own litter picker, please do bring these along,” said the spokesperson. It’s also advisable to check the weather forecast and dress appropriately.

Members of the public can register to get their free National Spring Clean Kit on the National website at https://nationalspringclean.org/register-for-the-national-spring-clean/

The kit includes bags, gloves and a hi-vis vest, however, a litter picker is not included.

With regard to the issue of illegal littering and dumping in Enniscorthy the Tidy Town’s spokesperson said the town consistently loses marks for excessive littering in the SuperValu Tidy Towns awards.

“Enniscorthy Tidy Towns group wants to tackle this litter problem head on and raise awareness about the damage litter can do to the environment and town,” said the spokesperson.

He said the group also wants to instil the message throughout the community that ‘littering habits need to change - enough is enough!’.

“If members of the public are interested in volunteering to make Enniscorthy cleaner and greener please come along to this event or contact us on Facebook, Instagram or email at enniscorthytt@gmail.com,” said the spokesperson.

Enniscorthy Tidy Towns is a voluntary organisation dedicated to the upkeep and enhancement of the town and its environment through voluntary work and commitment.

However, the organisation is about far more than just litter picking with opportunities for members to volunteer in projects for sustainability, biodiversity and other group initiatives.

Weather permitting, the members meet most Sundays at 9 a.m. at predetermined locations around the town.

“The most common items we find littered are drinks cans and bottles, fast food items, food packaging, cigarette butts and disposable vapes,” said the spokesperson.

The message the group wants to convey is to get people to stop littering, ‘think before they throw’ and to remember that plastic bottles, aluminium cans and waste electric items – including vapes - are all recyclable, with the spokesperson commenting: “Please stop littering these items in our town and recycle or bin items appropriately.”