Galway city centre drops 17 places in IBAL survey while east side makes ‘big strides’ with new Tidy Towns team
Galway’s Ballybane has made a comeback in the Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) survey this summer, while the city as a whole has dropped 17 places from the previous rankings.
Ballybane, Ballinasloe, and Galway city centre were ranked for litter and cleanliness in the latest IBAL survey.
Galway city centre remains “clean to European norms”, however it was ranked 26th out of 40 cities, a fall of 17 places after finishing in the top 10 just six months ago, in the January 2026 IBAL survey.
Galway Regional Hospital and the recycle bank on the Western Distributor Road remain problem areas for litter, particularly cigarette butts, plastic wrapping and discarded food containers, according to the survey.
The survey also found Galway Courthouse has “quite shocking” levels of cigarette butts. It suggested the installation of additional cigarette disposal units.
Meanwhile, in a reversal of recent IBAL trends, Ballybane has made “big strides” after a decline in cleanliness in previous surveys. It was ranked 32nd out of 40 and classified as “moderately littered”, an improvement to being in the bottom three locations last year.
Ballybane Tidy Towns community leader Donal Lynch told the Irish Independent the improved rating was a “step in the right direction” following the hard work of the newly formed Tidy Towns team.
The newly formed Ballybane Tidy Towns Volunteer group at the launch of the group.
The Ballybane neighbourhood village was not included in the survey. However, Mr Lynch said his team is working to improve the area with a sensory garden and fruit trees. He hopes those efforts will help Ballybane continue to climb the rankings in the coming months.
“We’re hoping to get much higher in the league, and we’ll concentrate on areas that came out in today’s survey,” Mr Lynch said. “We will work with the Tidy Towns group in getting an improvement.”
The Ballybane Industrial Estate received a C grade due to poorly presented signage and signs of neglect. Mr Lynch said the signage had recently been replaced. However, he told the Irish Independent that, because the estate is privately owned, there are restrictions on how it can be cleaned.
Castlepark and the playing fields showed evidence of “long-term neglect and abuse”, with a large dumping problem requiring “immediate attention”. The area received a D grade.
Six of the 10 areas surveyed in Ballybane received A grades, including a significant improvement in the condition of St Bridget’s Church.
In County Galway, the town of Ballinasloe ranked among the top five towns, with cleanliness levels described as “cleaner than European norms”. It shared fifth place with Carrick-on-Shannon and Gorey.
Ballinasloe Councillor Alan Harney thanked the Tidy Towns group, CE scheme workers and council staff for their work in maintaining community cleanliness.
“It’s important to recognize the progress being made, and it’s written down in black and white,” Cllr Harney told the Irish Independent.
“We do have some areas we need to work on, some litter black spots, and the roll out of CCTV is something I am continuing to prioritise.”
“The rollout of CCTV would give our council teams another tool in their toolbox to allow them to tackle littering and, most importantly, prosecute those who are responsible for littering where it occurs.”