Over 1,500 volunteers take part in National Spring Clean 2024 in Offaly

In County Offaly, approximately 50 clean-ups were registered to take place, with 1,500 volunteers joining the National Spring Clean campaign in April.

Among them, Tullamore Tidy Towns Association hosted two events last month as part of the campaign. The first one, which took place on April 6, was a Wetland Spring Clean in conjunction with Offaly Search and Recovery, which entailed a major clean-up of their area, including the water and the banks. The second clean-up, took place on April 13, covering the Grand Canal area and selected sites across Tullamore. It was the most successful spring clean event to date, according to the group.

Every April, the National Spring Clean encourages communities from across Ireland to roll up their sleeves and tackle the problem of litter in local areas and to see the benefits of a litter-free environment.

This year, 5,430 groups registered to carry out clean-ups throughout the country, with over 500,000 volunteers participating in organised clean-ups, collecting an estimated 2,725 tonnes of litter. This brings the total amount of rubbish collected over the past 25 years of the campaign to more than 50,200 tonnes. Furthermore, the National Spring Clean has inspired several community groups in towns and villages across the country to organise regular clean-up events all year long.

Minister of State at the Environment, Climate and Communications, Ossian Smyth, said: “Over the past 25 years, An Taisce’s National Spring Clean campaign has been a huge success. I am delighted to see another year of positive engagement and community impact. It is fantastic to see the pride individuals take in their local communities. Their dedication and commitment create a really positive impact on their local environment.”

National Spring Clean, Chairperson, Emlyn Cullen, added:

“This year marked an important year for An Taisce as we celebrated 25 years of the National Spring Clean, and we are so proud to have collected over 2,725 tonnes of litter. Thanks to the huge effort of our dedicated volunteers, over 50,200 tonnes of litter has been collected over the past 25 years. I’d like to thank all the individuals and groups who came out in droves to help support this campaign.”

The 2024 National Spring Clean campaign focused on highlighting how the adoption of a circular economy model will reduce our litter and climate impact, by highlighting how the transition to a more circular economy will see less waste, less litter, and lower emissions, and thus, a cleaner planet.

These principles of a circular economy have always been central to the ethos of National Spring Clean, this year some 35% of all waste collected was recycled, thanks to recyclable waste bags provided to groups and individuals who register, while the removal of litter from our natural environment has helped tackle biodiversity loss.

Here are some top tips to help keep your community clean and reduce your waste output:

• When you are out for a walk, visiting a park or a beach, do a quick #2MinuteStreetClean or a #2MinuteBeachClean

• Avoid single-use plastic when possible, by choosing more sustainable alternatives, such as reusable bottles and coffee cups, cotton bags, metal straws, etc…

• Don’t litter and if a bin is overflowing, keep your waste until you find a waste to dispose of it properly

• If you can’t reduce or reuse, recycle; know where and how to recycle all types of waste.

• Recent statistics show that, in Ireland, discarded cigarette butts make up for 60% of litter on the streets. Always bin your butt!

• Make sure to bin your chewing gum when you’re done to avoid a €150 gum littering fine and keep our streets clean!