Galway City Centre was once again awarded a status of ‘Cleaner than European Norms’ in the most recent Irish Businesses Against Litter (IBAL) results. Galway City Centre is one of only 10 places in Ireland to be given this high standard. The good news comes only a month after Galway Tidy Towns won a Gold Medal for the City Centre area. The high placing in the survey reflects on-going work in Galway City to tackle litter, including power washing of city centre streets; daily litter picks and street cleaning; solar powered, high-capacity bins; public water stations to refill bottles; and initiatives including Green-Schools, Clean Coasts, Bulky Goods collections, and Community Clean Ups among others.
Galway City Council would like to thank all the volunteers across the city, and our own litter crew for taking such pride in the city.
Fergal Cushen, Environmental Awareness Officer, Galway City Council commented, “The result is no surprise to Galway City Council, where our staff continue to work with communities across the city on litter prevention and reduction initiatives including regular Community Clean Ups and Spring Clean. The Council’s partnerships with local and national groups such as Clean Coasts ensures there are strong networks of volunteers who take great pride in the city. Not to mention the great work our Litter Management Unit do every day in our city - Starting their day at 5am and continuing their work throughout the morning and afternoon, ensuring the city streets are clean and well maintained every day. Tackling litter is an ongoing collaborative effort which couldn’t be achieved without the dedication of local businesses, volunteer groups, schools and residents. Congratulations to all in making Galway a cleaner city for the next generation."
Galway City Council runs regular on the ground and media campaigns targeting challenging litter areas in the city centre and beyond. Galway City Council is currently working with Curiocean CLG and the University of Galway on a public litter study which aims to provide innovative litter solutions across the city, with a particular focus on peak periods in Salthill.
Another vindication of the great collaborative work done in the past year was the winning of the gold medal award for Galway Tidy Towns. This would not have been possible without the joint collaboration of the Tidy Towns Committee with Galway City Council and local businesses.
Ballybane remains a priority area as Galway City Council continues to work with local residents to provide litter solutions to the area.
Waste Enforcement Officer David Walsh and Community Warden Eddie Ryan have been heavily involved in the implementation of the Galway City Waste Bye Laws in Ballybane in 2025, in particular the three bin system, by engaging directly with residents.
The team in Environment has carried out several community clean ups involving local families and residents. Over 100 bags of waste were collected by our crews in a single clean up. The electrical box at the entrance to the Fána Glas, once an eyesore and a focal point for illegal dumping, has been cleared of all waste and has been painted by a local artist with the help of local children.
Drone surveys have been conducted in the area and the large amount of waste in areas adjacent to Fána Glas has been identified and removed.
In addition to this, Galway City Council has carried out several Multi Agency Vehicle Check Points in Galway City and County to identify and restrict the movement of illegal waste into Ballybane, and will endeavour to carry out further checkpoints in the East Local Electoral Area. Major steps have taken in implementing a CCTV policy for the area – Galway City Council is confident of the presence of CCTV in Ballybane in 2026, to deter and prevent illegal dumping of waste.
Pictured are Litter Management Unit staff with Mayor of the City of Galway, Cllr Mike Cubbard at the launch of an anti-litter initiative in the Claddagh earlier this year. Photo: Andrew Downes.
