PHOTOS: Offaly communities get behind Spring Clean anti-litter effort
The National Spring Clean anti-littering campaign in Offaly proved to be a success, with around 1,300 volunteers taking part in clean-ups in various parts of the county.
The annual spring clean initiative is organised by An Taisce and encourages communities from across Ireland to tackle the problem of litter in local areas and to see the benefits of a litter-free environment.
More than 60 groups in Offaly registered to carry out clean-ups in April, and succeeded in removing an estimated seven tonnes of litter from Tullamore, Kinnitty, Birr, and elsewhere.
Kilcormac Development Association had a very busy week in late April, carrying out several clean-ups as part of the National Spring Clean.
"We were blessed with great weather and great attendance from the Kilcormac community and also our new Ukrainian friends who recently moved to Kilcormac.
"We gathered a spectacular amount of waste which was collected the next day after clean-up. Looking forward to next year!" said Hanna Delattre from the group.
Tullamore Canoe Club and Tullamore Tidy Towns Association also joined forces to organise a special National Spring Clean event this year. These two groups hosted river-side clean-up and canoe activities to encourage more volunteers to come out and do their bit.
Volunteers from Boora Community Group also took part in the National Spring Clean campaign on April 22, to celebrate Earth Day, removing a considerable amount of rubbish despite the rain.
National Spring Clean is operated by the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce in partnership with Local Authorities and supported by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment and Mars Wrigley Ireland.
The initiative has been running for the last 24 years.
Environment Minister Eamon Ryan paid tribute to the volunteers who had given their time to help out with clean-ups.
"The commitment of volunteers in continuing to organise local clean-ups each year is a testament to the spirit in Irish communities and I would urge as many people as possible to get involved in the campaign.
"My Department will continue to support the campaign and An Taisce, whose role in organising this successful campaign each year, deserves to be acknowledged," said the Minister.